


Revived

by Just_1_Man_Writing_A_Story_For_You



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Gen, Organized Crime, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 21:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 216,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12418980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_1_Man_Writing_A_Story_For_You/pseuds/Just_1_Man_Writing_A_Story_For_You
Summary: Mauville City is a place where hopes and dreams can be fulfilled or dashed in a heartbeat. Before becoming a trainer at 22, Ryan discovers that a new company in town is hiding sinister secrets. Left for dead after knowing too much, a Latias saves him before she gets captured. With a new lease on life, Ryan will do everything he can to save Latias and take down a worldwide threat.





	1. Rookie

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody, I'm Writer4fun aka Just_1_Man_Writing_A_Story_For_You. I'd like to thank you, the reader, for finding this story under a mountain of Pokémon stories as well as a lot of Latias & Latios stories.
> 
> The way I see it, the road to success is always under construction so feedback would be greatly appreciated at any point in time. However, I completely understand if you just want to sit back & read the story.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

Mauville was the most interesting city in Hoenn because it never failed to change people. Anyone down on their luck could catch a break and suddenly find themselves rolling in money. People living the high life or making an honest living could succumb to greed, find every way to get ahead of the next person, only to lose it all despite having enough to live comfortably in the first place. The only things that kept me steady were a solid home environment, my job, and a goal to reach Ever Grande City to compete against the best trainers.

Living on the far southeast side of Mauville City was practically reserved to large waterfront homes or smaller apartment complexes in the shadows of those large homes. We were one of the few true houses in that area but it wasn't as nice as some of the newer apartments. As far as I was concerned, the space inside was more important. The only thing that annoyed me was a lack of space to play outside.

There was no front yard since we were right on a main street surrounded by other houses that were converted into apartments and our backyard was too small for me, my younger sister Sadie, and my younger brother Lucas to play in at the same time. The one saving grace for the people living on the southeast side was the beach on route 118 since it was a short walk away.

"Kids! We're leaving in five minutes! Make sure to put some sunscreen on!" my dad yelled as he was packing the beach bag in his room.

A day trip had been planned the moment he was given a Saturday off from Cycling Road Security by his manager. He worked Tuesday to Saturday but most of his shifts were overnight. Dad wasn't necessarily a workaholic, but he took advantage of the overtime pay for holidays, snagged extra shifts when people called in sick, or traded shifts when he had the chance.

"Ryan, give me anything small that you don't want to carry. I'm going to ride on the bike this time," my mom added as she was packing her personal bag.

"I can handle my things," I lazily replied while I sat on the couch waiting for everyone else to finish. "Lucas is 17 and Sadie is 18; they're old enough to carry their stuff too."

She let out a sigh. "I know that, but I'm offering to help. I know working as an overnight janitor downtown can make you cranky at times during the week, but be nice today. Please? We haven't had a day trip together in months and it's the first weekend the beach is officially open." Easy for her to say.

"I'd kill to have your hours, mom. Monday to Friday? Clocking in at 8:30 and leaving at 5:00? Are you sure that I have to know everything about bikes? Can't I just do grunt work like stock shelves?"

She sighed softly. "We've talked about this, honey. Even if I brought you in, you would still have to pass Rydel's written and field tests about bikes. Then there's the test for the actual position. You've never really been interested in cycling which isn't a bad thing; everyone has their tastes. He only wants the most knowledgeable people in every position which is why I'm the top sales associate as opposed to being in the repair shop."

She had been a little antsy over the past few weeks since Rydel announced two assistant manager positions were going to be added. The company was expanding their business overseas and a lot of employees applied. Her knowledge about bikes was solid, but she wasn't sure if it was good enough to win out against seasoned managers from Mauville Hills who oversaw the luxury apartments and the staff every day. Since cycling was a popular hobby around the city, some of them probably had enough bike knowledge to compete for the spots.

The money they brought in was enough to keep the roof over our heads and keep everyone fed, but there wasn't much wiggle room for anything fancy and it showed when we were at school or if anyone came over. None of us owned a Pokédex or PokéNav despite it being a mass-produced item, basic trainer gear like clothing and backpacks were adequate yet clearly outdated, and we were teased for it when we all were in school. Since I graduated a few years ago, I've had less pressure on me because I didn't jump into the trainer scene but my siblings still were somewhat picked on by kids who had the newest gear.

"Everyone ready? Let's get going," my dad cheerfully said as he led us out the door.

The walk over always felt peaceful during the day despite the environment of the southeast side; going back at night was a different story. Once we got past the last complex, it was like a new world. We put down our towels and surveyed the beach. A lot of people were out in addition to some food trucks parked down by a different entrance. The waves weren't that aggressive and the wind was mild. An ideal opening day for everyone.

"Everyone should get some sun," my dad said staring at his ball. "Torkoal!" It materialized looking happy to be somewhere besides home or work and rolled around in the hot sand.

"Or enjoy the flying conditions," my mom added. "Go Pelipper!" The water bird Pokémon immediately noticed the lack of wind resistance and started to fly in place until she told it to go wherever it wanted on the beach.

"I'm going to do some drills away from everyone else then relax," Lucas noted before trying to sneak away.

Mom put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "With Electrike? Really?"

"Yup. We haven't done drills on the beach in a long time." I could sense another argument coming before she gave up.

"Just don't bother anyone else, please?" Lucas smiled and ran to the other end of the beach where nobody was sitting.

Ever since he heard about the Pokéathlon competition in Johto from his gym teacher, his dream was to win an overall gold medal in each of the five categories. Then he upped his goal to winning an overall gold medal while also winning all 15 events. Electrike was caught during a day shift when a cyclist complained about it blocking the way. It was a tenacious Pokémon that was adamant about staying in shape so it was a perfect match for Lucas.

"Can I have my notebook please?" Sadie asked before she went to lie down. "Castform will just soak up the sun if you let it out."

"I thought your weather notes were for home only," I said wondering how she could be thinking about work on a day like this.

"Ryan, a little extra work goes a long way for what I want to do," she shot back.

I let out a deep sigh. "Whatever. It's not like the Weather Institute is going anywhere."

"You're right. However, I could lose my intern status for not doing my job before I go back there in a few days. Castform isn't mine either so if I lose the internship then I lose Castform. If I keep going above and beyond, then they'll probably hire me full time."

"I still think you should catch another Pokémon just in case someone challenges you." She tossed her notebook aside and glared at me.

"You know what Ryan? Just because you're the best battler in the house, doesn't mean you get to tell me how to deal with Pokémon!"

"That's enough!" my dad grunted while he sat up. "We're here to relax. No more arguing. Call out Ziggy so he can get some sun too."

I held his ball in front of me. "Fine. I still hate that nickname you guys gave him but he responds to it. Let's go Zigzagoon." My tiny buddy closed his eyes with his belly facing the sun after a few minutes.

Zigzagoon was the typical alley Pokémon scavenging for food when I saw him a few years ago. He wasn't too happy about me interrupting his dinner but was too weak to really hurt me so it was an easy capture on my part. It took him months before he realized that his life on the streets was going to be a thing of the past and for him to completely trust me.

An hour passed and we decided to set up the umbrellas to avoid total sunburn in case someone fell asleep. Lucas briefly stopped by before going to get some food. I followed him with Zigzagoon until I thought I saw Wattson in a beach chair. A dark green floral pattern shirt with tiny lightning bolts mixed in was enough to prove it was him if the white hair and yellow jumpsuit didn't do it.

"Excuse me… Wattson?" I mumbled, unsure if it was a good idea to bother him on what I assume was his day off or at least time off before he had to get back to the gym.

"Huh? Who's there?" he mumbled while rubbing his eyes. He stretched before looking at me. "What can I do for you?"

I dreamed of walking into his gym and sweeping him for the Dynamo Badge or at least being a gym assistant. He has always been involved in charity work around the city, especially making sure New Mauville was habitable for electric Pokémon and making sure tourists respected their habitat. The man was a goofball, yet serious when he needed to be. He was the one person in the city that I was afraid to approach in a formal setting. Had I gone to the gym to ask for a job, I probably would've gone on my knees to beg and had a nervous breakdown. I felt more relaxed approaching him here.

"I was wondering if I could… work at the gym," I shyly requested. I didn't have the guts to challenge him right now with just one Pokémon and I doubt anyone would lend me theirs.

His facial expression went from annoyed to curious. "Well, where do you live?"

"Not too far from here. I'm on the east side of the city. Technically the southeast side."

"Ah! Homegrown assistants are the best ones! The league doesn't always understand that when they try to send me new ones hahaha!" His boisterous laughter still hasn't quieted down after all these years. "I don't see why not. I could always use an extra hand around the gym. Are you still in school?"

"I graduated a few years ago and am saving up to become a trainer."

"Good, good. I can respect that. Is this Zigzagoon your only Pokémon?" It climbed me before resting on my shoulder.

"He is."

He hummed before putting his hands together. "Tell you what, meet me tomorrow morning at 8:45 and we'll go from there. I'm glad you're interested in helping out!" Keeping my poker face was hard, but I did it.

"See you tomorrow!" He waved me closer so we were eye to eye.

"Thanks for not challenging me to a battle right here or anything like that. I don't have any Pokémon on me," he whispered while having a huge grin on his face. "I left them at the gym. Yup, I definitely needed this time off hahaha! Thank goodness that the beach opened this weekend! Have a good day young man!"

Our encounter replayed in my head for the rest of the day even though I told everyone about it when we went back home. I had everything planned out for my long day before I went to bed. Zigzagoon understood what was about to happen and was adamant about sleeping outside his ball so he could wake me up if my alarm didn't. I somehow managed to fall asleep earlier than everyone and I woke up before my alarms went off.

I threw on clothes that made me look like a trainer instead of a janitor. A simple white athletic shirt with cargo shorts was more ideal compared to what I usually wore to work. Most of my shirts had bleach stains or had holes from not caring about what happened to them; the same could be said for most of my jeans. The other thing I worried about was anything smelling like chemicals or the janitorial closets since the laundry detergent wasn't as strong if the washer was filled past a certain point. After a quick sniff, it wasn't going to be a problem.

Mom left me a lunch on the kitchen table which brought a smile to my face. It had been years since I've felt like a kid since she and dad used to do this all the time. With Zigzagoon trotting beside me all the way into the city, my life felt more open and I realized that mopping floors or cleaning bathrooms in an office building was the dumbest thing I ever did.

Electric Pokémon statues lined the entrance to the gym as the sun started to rise. A receptionist let me in after I had to wait for her to see me but I was still a few minutes early. The lobby felt welcoming and smelled like a freshly cleaned hotel room. Even if I was going to do grunt work for Wattson, it already felt better than my previous job.

"Wattson is in his office. It's down the hallway to the right," the receptionist said while handing me some information sheets.

"Thank you very much."

Large portraits of various electric Pokémon lined the hallway to his office. Smaller ones were on his desk while one giant lightning bolt was on the back wall. Wattson was checking his computer for any scheduled battles until I went to take a seat.

"Glad to see you showed up young man! You're already in a better position to get the job. After a day like yesterday and today being Sunday, I wouldn't want to come to work either. Anyway, fill out this form. It's a basic employee form for us to keep on file."

I quickly filled it out until I came to the part about other jobs and availability. Wattson gave no indication of how much he really needed me but I didn't want to sound like this job wasn't as important after I asked him to work. The one thing that works in my favor is that I work overnights so it's not like scheduling would be a problem. On the other hand, I would be more exhausted than normal. I figured it would be better to note my other job as I continued down the form.

"Okay Ryan, let's see what we have here," he mumbled while looking it over. "Good… good… hold on. What's this other job about? Janitorial work overnight?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" I asked innocently while also hiding my fear.

"Not really from a scheduling standpoint. Are you going to be focused when you come here?"

"I can adapt my lifestyle. It's also only Monday to Friday." He leaned back in his chair.

"The league paying someone that isn't all there while working at a gym isn't really a responsible thing to do."

My jaw dropped and I shot him a confused look. "Gym assistants get paid? I thought this was an unpaid position." He laughed longer than usual before composing himself. He then pointed to the papers that the receptionist handed me.

"You'll work between 30 and 35 hours a week here since it's a part time position. Based on what you put down, I think you'll be happy to know we're out of here well before midnight. The only thing that may be a concern to you is that you will be paid slightly less than your current job. How does that sound to you now? Those papers have more details if you decide to stick around."

It took every ounce of my energy to keep a straight face. Crying out of joy, jumping around like a lunatic, hugging Wattson to death, and cheering with my hands in the air were acceptable responses if I didn't care about professionalism. The stress of working a mindless job with awful hours was gone in a snap. My path to becoming a trainer was simpler.

"Sounds fine to me. I'll give them my two weeks and then I can start here after that."

"Excellent!" He stood up and shook my hand. "Let's meet some of the crew today. I think Shawn and Vivian are in for the morning shift." Wattson led me to the field after he filed away my paperwork.

A lanky man about my age wearing a tank top and ripped jeans was working on the scoreboard while a woman a few years older than me in athletic attire was setting up the referee's area. They both looked wary of me but acknowledged my presence with a handshake once Wattson called them near the sideline.

"Vivian, Shawn, this is Ryan. He'll be working with us in a few weeks."

"Oh! Where are you from?" Vivian asked, still unsure about me.

"Eastern part of the city. Southeast if you want to nitpick." Her face softened up but now Shawn was skeptical.

"Looks like you stayed out of trouble for the most part to ask for a job here. Maybe the east side has gotten better since I moved away from there a few years ago. We'll know what you're really like in a few days."

Vivian punched his shoulder. "That's not how to treat a new employee! Can't you put you bias aside for good? Not everyone from the east side is a snob or criminal."

"Working on it," he said unenthusiastically while rubbing his shoulder. "You're the exception."

"Shawn, see me after your shift. We talked about this," Wattson said with his hand on his forehead. "Anyway, I think an introductory battle is in order to see where Ryan stands in terms of holding his own against challengers. The rules are one Pokémon per side and the battle is over when either Pokémon is unable to battle. Who wants to go first?"

Shawn started to walk to a trainer box. "Me. Hope you know your stuff," he taunted with his back to me.

"When you get picked on in school but are good at something, you can shut people up by challenging them on your terms. Guess what I was good at?"

"Big talk for someone using the school's Pokémon in a strictly controlled environment. Go Voltorb!" The ball Pokémon came out itching to fight with sparks surrounding its body.

Battle class was conducted in schools across the region with each school's Pokémon to lower the liability so he was technically right. Borrowed or not, I still wiped the floor with everyone. Some people took it harder than others and wanted a piece of me after school if they even had a Pokémon; Zigzagoon was always ready for a fight. Arguing with Shawn wasn't going to do me much good since he would just put me down or discredit what I say.

"Zigzagoon, let's go!" This was our first trainer battle in weeks so it was good to see him pumped.

"Voltorb versus Zigzagoon. Begin!"

With all the trash talk beforehand, neither of us wanted to make the first move. Add in the fact that I bothered the gym leader on his day off and I knew I had to prove myself. The tension felt amplified because it felt like a loss meant that my application would go to the trash can. Wattson was surprisingly okay with a standstill; I caved in to the pressure first.

"Use Baby-Doll Eyes!" His beady eyes stared at Voltorb until Voltorb hopped back a little bit from the awkwardness. Not only was it a good move to start the battle, it also helped it get food from humans on the street back before I caught it.

"Fight back with Screech!" A piercing sound reverberated through the gym forcing everyone to cover their ears. "Now roll in for Spark!" It wasted no time ramming into Zigzagoon.

"Tail Whip!" Furiously wagging its tail made Voltorb and Shawn look at each other in confusion. "Headbutt!" It sprinted into Voltorb and sent it sliding across the gym floor.

"Typical behavior coming from an east side thug. Charge Beam!"

"Pin Missile!"

The stream of electricity met the dozens of pins in the center of the field. It looked like a stalemate until Voltorb put a little more effort behind its attack. Its attack powered through the stream of pins and got to Zigzagoon. He got up immediately but his breathing was labored.

"Rollout! Keep up the pressure!"

With little distance between us, the first hit was weak but it rolled back by Shawn to create more room to gain speed. Zigzagoon was too tired to dodge the second hit and it put him close to the sideline. Voltorb circled back for the third hit and sent my Pokémon against the wall when it didn't try to dodge.

"The fourth hit is going to end the battle! Roll in for the knockout!" Zigzagoon got up and was leaning too far to the left to launch an accurate Pin Missile as a counter but I had an idea.

"Wait for it…" I mumbled under my breath as it got closer. "Now! Go left!"

It threw itself to the side to dodge and Voltorb ran into the wall. The impact was so hard that it was rocking in place trying to reorient itself and shake off the cobwebs.

"Screech! You need to stall until you can see straight!"

"Use Headbutt!" Zigzagoon got behind Voltorb before ramming it into the wall. The look on Shawn's face said it all.

My method of using our surroundings to our advantage has gotten us frequently yelled at in the past. Was that attack more brutal than a normal one? Yes. Was it a cheap shot? Some would argue that using the surroundings is smart while others preferred to rely on ability alone. Was it a legal maneuver? Yes. Unless a referee or outside person intervenes, either side can do what they want in a battle. I've stayed away from back alley battle rings or battling people in an empty area because there were no rules in those battles. There was only mercy if it was granted or if the Pokémon was recalled in time. People will always complain in a formal setting but legality wins out over emotion.

I worked on organized battling with Zigzagoon from the day I caught him but he still has his moments. The first few days were rough with him attacking me or even the other kids in after school battles since he saw humans as a threat and couldn't run away. Part of it was that as an alley Pokémon, it was about staying alive. If it took anything to win or live to fight another day, a Pokémon would do whatever it took to survive. I took Zigzagoon out of the alley, but couldn't take the alley mentality out of him; I'm not sure anyone ever could.

"Voltorb is unable to battle. Zigzagoon wins!"

Not the best battling, but a win is a win. I kicked myself yet again for getting rid of Sand Attack for Pin Missile because my strategy outside of battle class was to be a nuisance for as long as possible. Once the opposition's stats were lowered, then we'd headbutt our way to victory since we were lacking in the raw power department. Unfortunately, ghost Pokémon ruined that plan so type coverage was needed to at least draw out the battle. My plan often left my opponents frustrated although Shawn had a different reason to be upset.

"I knew you'd fight dirty! That's all east siders know how to do! This isn't the schoolyard!" I was tired of him running his mouth.

"Since you know so much about the east side, I think you should already know that a lot of us find a way to make things work and get crafty. It's not against the rules to attack from behind or ram another Pokémon into the wall. Maybe if you didn't send my Pokémon closer to the wall, then this wouldn't have happened."

Wattson sprinted to the middle of the field. "Enough! Shawn, wait in the stands until we're done. Vivian, it's your turn to battle. Same rules apply. Ryan, take this Super Potion and heal your Pokémon." I did so as Vivian took her place in the opposite box; Shawn dragged his feet to the stands and sat with his arms folded. It was scary seeing Wattson go from carefree to serious.

"That last battle was interesting," Vivian noted trying to find a balance between applauding my effort while not trying to make the situation more awkward. "Do you have another win in you? Go Meditite!"

Ah Meditite, a Pokémon with an unusual typing that annoys dark users and gives ghost users something to think about. What's more frustrating is that it can be used as a mixed attacker if someone wanted to take the time to develop both special and physical attacks. Most people focused on the physical side since Mega Medicham had more power in its physical attack and Pure Power for its ability. However, a special attacking Meditite or Medicham would catch someone by surprise or seriously throw a wrench in their strategy.

"We do. Go Zigzagoon!" I hustled to its spot not caring about a potential fighting move or two in our opponent's arsenal.

"Meditite versus Zigzagoon. Begin!" Wattson yelled as he threw up the flags.

The best move was to limit the damage as soon as possible. "Start with Baby-Doll Eyes!"

"Confusion!"

My attack still took effect before Zigzagoon was held in place. Meditite eventually slammed it against the ground. He charged ahead feeling upset that he was easily manhandled and was tossed aside yet again. I needed to bring him back to his senses.

"Think for a second and use Tail Whip!" His bushy tail wagged while he moved in closer and Meditite's guard went down. "Headbutt!" With him in close proximity, he got off a clean hit.

"Use Bide," Vivian calmly ordered. Meditite closed its eyes and sat in place. It didn't flinch when Zigzagoon shuffled back to create some space; this was our chance.

"Pin Missile!" It fired off two separate rounds that hit Meditite in the chest. "It's not going to fight back! Pin Missile again!" More needles flew Meditite's way and now it was visibly in pain.

Vivian was nervous throughout the ordeal until she saw that it was still conscious. "Release!"

A big wall of energy was sent Zigzagoon's way while he tried to outrun it. When the light dimmed down and the dust settled, he was out cold. Normally he would be able to grunt in frustration when his body quit on him or roll around until I called him back. It was the first time I've seen him so calm.

"Zigzagoon is unable to battle. Meditite wins!" She walked to the center of the field and waited for a handshake.

"Oh! Hold on a second," I mumbled to myself while jogging to meet her. I forgot that was considered common courtesy. "Good battling."

"You too. That was a risky move to attack knowing what was going to happen." I stared at her blankly. "Do… do you not know what that attack does?"

I stared at the ground. "No." By this point, Wattson came over as Vivian tried to look me in the eye.

"Let me get this straight: you've never seen this attack? Have you even heard of it? Most Pokémon avoid attacking so they don't take double the damage when it's time to release the energy. They only do it if they're certain they can get a knockout."

"Maybe when I was younger," I sheepishly replied.

"Now now, it's alright. People can't remember everything," Wattson said while patting my back. "Ryan here did good considering Zigzagoon is his only Pokémon."

"I guess. So, what is he going to do today?"

He looked over at Shawn still sitting in the stands. "Well I wanted him to work on different things but that'll have to wait. You can give him the tour since out first challenger won't be showing up for another hour. I'll figure something out for later after the rest of the morning staff comes in. Come on Shawn, let's go."

The rest of the shift flew by with Vivian explaining how to manage the gym. Whether or not she knew about my janitorial job, the first thing she showed me was the massive storage area. There were cleaning supplies, repair kits, toolbelts, medical kits, banners for public events, maintenance signs, and anything else to make sure the gym could stay operational. Aside from my duties for the day, I could train in a special area in the back when I had some down time. Battling prospective challengers wasn't going to happen until I had more experience under my belt but I had a place to train.

The gym also had a day care area for Pokémon to be watched for anyone willing to pay a fee. All types and temperaments were allowed if they were registered beforehand. It wasn't a full-blown day care service like the one just outside of the city so Wattson made a few changes. The big things were a one Pokémon limit per trainer and if an egg was suspected in the equation, a staff member would have to get the Pokémon Center involved. For any minor injuries, there was a healing machine hidden away. The rest of the morning staff from all departments rolled in as we moved throughout the gym.

Shawn's attitude and a slightly smaller paycheck were minor inconveniences when stacked against the benefits the gym had to offer. I still had to be introduced to the afternoon crew at some point so maybe they'd give me a better welcoming. Learning to properly interact with everyone walking in off the streets looking for help would be another endeavor for another day. A trainer walked in looking for a badge as expected so we were forced to stop the tour.

She was a young teenager with all the confidence in the world as she walked up to us asking for a battle. Not every gym allowed for the leader to be challenged right away and not every gym wanted to waste a trainer's time with assistants; Wattson mixed it up depending on the day. Vivian accepted her challenge and signaled to an Ever Grande Conference referee to get started.

Marshtomp was her Pokémon of choice although she didn't look happy when Vivian threw out Meditite. It dawned on me that I'd fit in as a niche trainer here since a lot of challengers bring in at least one ground type. Wattson probably had his own plan to handle challengers thinking they could waltz through the gym with a type advantage as their only advantage.

The challenger won in convincing fashion and beat Shawn's Voltorbs in what felt like record time. I was forced to decline the battle since I was a new assistant so Wattson was dragged out of his office. Despite Magneton's Magnet Bomb and Supersonic to make Marshtomp hurt itself to the point of fainting, it was too weak to handle her Loudred. He laughed off the loss while handing over the Dynamo Badge for her efforts.

"Congratulations on your victory! Take care now!" he yelled as she left the gym. "Always good to see young trainers that have more than one strong Pokémon so early in their journey," Wattson said as he turned to us.

"She still looked nervous when Vivian used Meditite," I quietly pointed out.

"Young trainers get rattled when they walk into one type of gym but don't face a Pokémon of that type. I think she'll be ready for it next time," he said with a smile. "Now here's where you come in, Ryan. I need you to fix up the area while these two fill out their battle sheets. Clean any debris off the field and patch any holes in the walls. Everything you need is in the storage closet."

"Are you sure I can do it by myself? What if I mess up?"

He leaned in close. "The only way you mess up is if you don't do it hahaha! All the instructions are there and it doesn't have to be too pretty. Just fill in the holes and a regular maintenance worker will take care of the rest for now."

Quick drying cement bags were near the front of the storage area so they would be easier to carry over. With a little water and some mix, the holes that we created were filled. An older gentleman stopped by to smooth it out before using his Slugma to speed up the drying process. I swapped the bag for a bucket of paint and made the wall look new again.

The rest of the day sped by with each trainer passing through. Wattson mowed down most challengers with Volt Switch while still handling ground types when he needed to. Only one other battle resulted in a hole in the side wall. Looking back on my battle with Shawn, getting a Pokémon close to the side wall was a hard thing to do; the field was almost as big as the ones at Ever Grande City. His last battle was a win so his morning and early afternoon battle record was 5-2.

"Let's see… 3:15? I think I could use a break before the evening battles. Ryan, you're all set for today!"

I shot him a confused look. "Come again?"

"You're done. Go home!" he cheerfully exclaimed.

"Same time tomorrow?"

"I want you to come in at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon. There are a few more assistants that you need to meet. Remember to look over those papers. See you tomorrow!" We shared a handshake before parting ways.

For the first time in years I could do something immediately after work. It was the perfect time to visit the cafés in the food court near Mauville Hills because it was between lunch and dinner and nobody would have to battle for a spot to eat. Apparently, I stuck out like a sore thumb since the people there wore business casual attire. Even the cashier shot me a weird look so I took that as a sign to take my sub combo home. When I got home, I scarfed down the meal and turned on the television to relax.

I couldn't wait until tomorrow.


	2. One Moment in Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

Everyone took an interest in what I had to say about my duties and the gym layout itself when it was time to eat dinner. My normally reserved sister asked the most questions and no topic was off limits. I hope she expected to hear "I don't know" as the answer to most of her questions. Lucas didn't really have anything to say although he was still intrigued at my responses. The best part of it was that my parents looked relieved. They supported my decisions after graduation, but I could sense they were nervous if I would ever get to fulfill my dream of becoming a trainer. I'm sure they were happy to see me working normal hours.

"When we're done eating, we need you to stay at the table," mom bluntly stated while she looked at me.

No matter how old we got, that phrase would always strike fear in our hearts. It was the start of something amazing or something horrible. Anything from random gifts to being scolded to announcements was fair game when that phrase was spoken. I had no clue what they wanted as we cleared the table; Sadie and Lucas went outside so they wouldn't be dragged along for the ride.

"Everything sounded good," my dad started. "But are you sure you can handle working those long days for two weeks?"

"It'll be fine. I go to work tonight, come home, sleep, back at the gym by 3:30 for the closing shift. You guys know I can stay awake if I'm working." A nervous look was written on their faces.

"I can't believe we're suggesting this… but maybe you should think about telling them you're leaving in one week instead of two?"

My jaw nearly dropped at that statement. Dad has always been a man preaching about honesty, owning up to the choices we made, and working through certain conflicts instead of avoiding them or in this case, taking the easy way out. I didn't know how to take his opinion. If my siblings stayed at the table, they'd ask where the real dad was.

"I thought about not showing up at all. Burning that bridge would be a bad idea though. One week should be enough anyway; it's not that hard of a job to find a replacement for."

Mom let out a deep sigh then looked at me. "Do what you feel is right. As for this new job, are you aware of everything that you're required to do? Even in emergencies? I have to read the fine print to customers at the cycle shop if they ask for it so I know what it's like to come across unexpected things."

"See for yourself." I handed over the papers that were given to me.

"Looks like everything is clearly defined." She loosened up as she leaned back in her chair. "You told us everything except the people you work with. How  _are_ the people you work with other than Wattson?"

The color drained from my face. I just assumed they wouldn't care if I was working a job I liked that paid me enough to buy trainer essentials like healing items. I figured they would keep asking questions if they read my body language or internally judged my tone so I decided to be completely honest the first time around.

"Vivian is a nice person but Shawn… Shawn doesn't like me because we live on the east side of the city. He doesn't trust the people here because the people that live out here are either pompous rich people or poor thugs in his eyes."

"Did he call  _you_  a thug?"

"Yes."

I could feel their rage building because it had happened to them when they were growing up. They got over it after they got out of school but it stung for the longest time. They still knew that a label like that was a strike against us since we were trying to make it in the world. Sadie dodged the issue because she was so good at what she did and her collogues only cared about results; the scientists she worked with could care less about her life in general unless if she were to start acting up.

Lucas was still in school and had no job so the label only affected him at school. Even there it was minimized since he was an athlete with serious potential. Deep down, my parents knew that this was going to happen to me at some point after I graduated.

"Do you know why he called you a thug?" my dad asked sternly.

"My best guess is how I battled him. Tail Whip had him and his Voltorb confused then I had Zigzagoon ram it with Headbutt as soon as they looked at each other. Then I attacked his Voltorb from behind and rammed it into a wall because they both ended up near one from an earlier attack. None of those actions were against the rules."

"Ryan, I want to be very clear with you. The way you battle can get some people upset and I think by this point in your life, you know that. You've always focused on using misdirection over raw power or advanced strategic batting skills that professional trainers use; there's nothing wrong with that. You don't have the Pokémon or experience as a trainer to perform those skills. However, that does not mean anyone has the right to call you a thug. What did you do after Shawn said that?"

Flashbacks of the encounter ran through my head. "I told him that my battling wasn't against the rules and that if Voltorb didn't want to get rammed into a wall, it should've kept Zigzagoon closer to the middle of the field." Both of them ran their hands through their hair.

"You have to ignore that, honey," mom pleaded to me in a whisper. "Trainers can lash out after they lose no matter how you win. In an organized or informal setting, just walk away. You already won the battle."

"Come on guys! You know how I feel about trash talking," I countered while raising my voice. "If my opponents can back it up with a win, I'll keep my mouth shut. If not, I get a turn. Showing humility doesn't get you very far as a trainer. I'm not a doormat."

"Try letting it go next time and see what happens," she casually replied trying not to escalate the situation. I didn't want to drag out the argument either so I lazily agreed to give it try.

"Well that covers everything on our end. Anything else you want to add?"

"Nope."

As I stood up, they did too and gave me a hug. "Not every day at work is going to be easy or fun. If you keep an open mind and go in with a good attitude, the day may just fly by. Get some rest before you head out for work tonight. We love you Ryan. We're happy for you and we want you to succeed.

"Thanks guys," I mumbled while hugging them back. "Before everybody goes to bed, can someone wake me up so I can get to work on time?"

A nap before work never felt so good. I was so out of it that Lucas had Electrike jump on my back to wake me up. The side streets always looked unnerving once the sun went down so I had my hand near my ball at all times if Zigzagoon wasn't beside me. As long I didn't stare at people on corners, I'd be fine. I got into a few fights after graduation since people thought I was an easy target but my 6'1", 190-pound frame made it easy for me to prove them wrong. Most of the time I just kept my head down or looked straight ahead; most walks weren't problematic.

Mauville itself was nice on the surface with the heart of the city always looking like something out of a vacation pamphlet. Underneath the glitz and glamor there was absolute uncertainty in everything. Some restaurants looked good on the outside but the food was awful and vice versa. Boarded up buildings could house illegal activities or be the future home of a new business. I never bothered to guess how each person would respond if I asked them for help or told them to move out of the way. My office building housed an accounting firm doing honest work so it was one of the few places I knew well.

Security let me in after I showed my badge to the camera as usual followed by me going through a metal detector. Water cooler talk wasn't my thing so when I got to my floor, I went to work like normal. Every task felt more mundane knowing I had one foot out the door. My old habits prevented me from completely neglecting my duties so everything that needed to be cleaned got cleaned. Before I left, I stopped by the manager's office.

"Excuse me, sir? Can I talk with you for a second? It'll be quick."

"What's on your mind?"

I mentally took a deep breath. "I found another job and am putting in my two-week notice."

He let out long sigh before digging through a filing cabinet. "Okay…. okay. I need to fill out some paperwork. You'll most likely hear back from human resources later today on how you will be phased out. We still expect you to come to work until you are officially terminated otherwise getting your final paycheck will be harder."

"Got it. I'll be back tomorrow."

Roads were already full while I walked from the heart of downtown to the east side. Walking back usually involved me closing my eyes every few steps to get a snapshot or two of sleep until I got home but not today. Most of the pressure on me had gone away and it felt like someone pressed a reset button on my life. I took a longer nap before heading back out the door for my second job.

Wattson's gym was much busier compared to my first day. There weren't a lot of trainers lingering around in the stands, but they were getting impatient watching his current battle. I made them more irritated by walking down to the field so casually after it ended.

"Ryan! Good to see you! I need you to patch up these walls. One of my other assistants should be coming out to help after they're done with their battle reports."

"Got it!"

He sprinted to his office after I started working on the biggest hole there was. It was about the size of a kickball with not much of an indent; an easy fix according to the instructions. The trainers grew more impatient until they couldn't take it and came onto the field.

"Old man Wattson ready or what? We've got things to do," a young teenager whined.

"He'll be ready whenever he's done," I calmly replied.

"Can we at least spar?" a man my age asked.

"I want to say no only because the concrete isn't set."

"You'd be correct," a voice said as it came from a back room. "You must be that Ryan person. I'm Ben. Nice to meet you!" Based on his physical features, he looked like he was 13 years old but he was adamant that he was legally old enough to work.

"Nice to meet you too."

He turned to the small crowd in front of us. "Wattson is taking care of something more important but we'll get to everyone. Be patient." They eventually calmed down knowing that Wattson's absence was a minor inconvenience. When he emerged roughly 25 minutes later, he had a ball in his hand.

"Who's next!?" he cheerfully asked.

Any stress or pressure that he had before didn't linger from before. Constantly rotating his Pokémon with Volt Switch annoyed every trainer since nobody had a ground type to stop the onslaught. Some poor challenger thought their Aron was a ground type and the look on his face when it fainted in one shot was priceless. His record after the rush of trainers stood at 7-1 with the only loss coming from a trainer who already had seven badges. It was well past dinner time when the gym was empty.

"For someone who's new, you're not doing too bad," Ben noted as we swept around the sidelines.

"Yeah, it'd be easier if I had my own fire Pokémon to help so I could speed this up. I'd also like to battle challengers at some point."

"You'll get there soon. All newbies have to do most of the grunt work before it gets distributed evenly again." He finished putting his pile into a dustpan. "You've already battled Shawn and Vivian so now you have to go against Kirk and I. Wattson! Could you be our referee?"

He came out from behind an electrical panel. "I don't see why not! The rules are a one on one battle with me as the referee. Take your places."

Ben looked confident for facing someone arguably a decade older than him. "Electrike, let's go!"

Lucas' Electrike was probably in better physical condition so I wasn't intimidated. "Go Zigzagoon!"

"Zigzagoon versus Electrike. Begin!"

"Okay Zigzagoon, Baby-Doll Eyes!"

"Tackle, Electrike!"

Electrike moved too fast for my attack to take effect and it looked like Zigzagoon took a heavy hit. He looked at Electrike while on the ground with his adorable eyes; it felt a little bad about attacking an "innocent" Pokémon.

"Pin Missile!" Electrike couldn't dodge the onslaught of pins that Zigzagoon fired from his mouth five separate times. "Tail Whip!"

Ben wasn't going to fall for my other trick. "Rush in with Spark!"

"Change to Headbutt!"

Both Pokémon locked heads at midfield until Zigzagoon gained leverage and threw the electric Pokémon off course. Sparks came from its body when it stood up while Electrike was struggling to get off its back.

"Ha! Got the paralysis! Not so fast now, are we?" he said not noticing that his partner stopped moving.

"Paralyze Zigzagoon all you want; Electrike just lost consciousness," I calmly pointed out. It would've been easy to berate Ben but he didn't deserve trash talking coming from me. He was still young and I was very cocky at that age. He got the benefit of the doubt this time.

"Electrike is unable to battle. Zigzagoon wins!"

"Aw man… return," he mumbled.

I jogged over and extended my hand, "Good battle."

He shook my hand. "You too."

"Who's left? Kirk?"

"Ben, get him from the Pokémon area and stay there until he returns. There's only one Mareep sleeping so he's probably bored by now," Wattson noted as he threw some healing items in my direction. "Not bad my boy! A record of two wins and one loss is a good starting point."

A man looking slightly younger than me walked out from a side door with a ball in hand after I healed my partner. Kirk looked happy to leave the presumably boring room for a chance at a fun battle.

"Looks like you're ready to go after a quick heal. Ben already told me the rules so I'm up to speed. Go Magnemite!" Well, I already lost the type advantage but I might as well make things interesting.

"Zigzagoon!" He stood ready for battle not caring about the type disadvantage.

"Magnemite versus Zigzagoon. Begin!"

We needed a lot of help to inflict some damage. "Tail Whip!" Kirk didn't bother to respond. "Keep using Tail Whip!" With Magnemite letting its guard down after each one, he sensed I was going to attack.

"Thunder Wave into Magnet Bomb!" Zigzagoon had no chance to dodge either move as Magnemite fired them back to back. "And now use Volt Switch!"

"Pin Missile!" The paralysis took effect and my partner was a sitting duck until Magnemite rammed into it covered in electricity.

A light bulb went off in my head. "Then that means I win! You can't add another Pokémon to the battle and Volt Switch forces you to substitute."

Kirk tapped the side of his head and smiled. "How can I switch if Magnemite is my only Pokémon on me?" My stomach bottomed out and he saw my facial expression change in a heartbeat. "Ben told me the rules so I came prepared. My other one is in the back room with him."

"Shit!" I mumbled to myself. "Pin Missile!" The needles flew out of Zigzagoon's mouth three separate times but it was hopeless.

"Magnet Bomb!" No surprise that the battle was over when the attack hit.

"Zigzagoon is unable to battle. Magnemite wins!"

We shook hands before he went back to his post. After hearing that there were no more gym assistants to battle, I was content with a 2-2 record. Not everyone that worked in the gym had a Pokémon and if they did, it wasn't suited for a gym environment so Wattson kept my introductory battles to the people I would be working with the most. There wasn't much to do after our battle so Wattson locked the arena up at 9:30. He told me to come back for the morning shift on the way out.

Walking home was uneventful aside from the usual drunk or panhandler until I got to the front door. Someone left it open along with the kitchen light on. Everyone was normally good when it came to managing utilities so I was a little concerned. Mom was reading at the kitchen table when I walked in; she immediately dropped her book.

"Have a seat Ryan. We need to talk."

"I have to leave for my other job soon."

"Just take a seat." She wasn't showing any motherly love this time around. "Can you explain why we got a call earlier today saying that you have been let go?" I went from uneasy to furious in a snap but I did my best to hold it in; I nervously laughed instead.

"That's funny… because I told them I would be leaving in two weeks after I finished my shift. Guess they wanted to save some money until they found another person."

She thought about my answer then tapped the table. "So, you're telling the truth?"

"For the love of… yes! Yes, I'm telling the truth! You guys raised me to do things the right way but other people don't always do the same. Rydel treats you right because he's a small business owner. He's expanding, but he still treats his customers and employees like family. Dad's been at his job for years and has a circle of people to back him up. I work for a large company with hundreds of employees and my job doesn't require a special skill. I'm the youngest employee there; I'm a grain of sand to them."

Again, she let my words sink in. "Regardless of that situation, you still have your job at the gym. A paycheck for today's hours is going to come sometime this week too."

"Every bit of money helps. If you see dad before I do, you can tell him what we talked about. He probably lost his mind when they said I was let go. I need to go to bed because Wattson wants me in tomorrow morning."

"Are you going to going to have a set schedule at some point?"

"Fingers crossed. The good news is that the near future is much clearer. Goodnight."

Hitting the pillow with an adrenaline rush from today kept me awake for most of the night. The anger from being kicked to the curb after showing some common decency overshadowed the fact that I had a good first two days at the gym. With that distraction out of the way, the only thing to do was focus on the future.

* * *

Four months had passed since I started working in the gym and I already had a reputation. Wattson gave me and Linoone the unofficial nickname of "ground unit" since I was the only assistant that didn't have a hint of electricity associated with my Pokémon. Vivian's Meditite had Thunder Punch which caught me by surprise because it never was used in our introductory battle; she preferred to use it near the end of her battles.

Zigzagoon evolved into Linoone after the first month and it provided a confidence boost for everyone. It hadn't learned any new moves, but I was content with the four it had. Executing my strategy of stat lowering first followed by a barrage of attacks work a majority of the time. Nearly every stage one Pokémon like Trapinch lost against me. Only fighting, ghost, steel, and rock types stood a chance but most of them went down.

Stage two Pokémon gave me a run for my money and were used the most. If anyone walked through the door with a stage three Pokémon, my only hope for a win was for my opponent to be an idiot which never happened. Factor in those things and my record was a respectable 70-57 or a 55.1 winning percentage.

Sadie, Lucas, or both stopped by the gym often after school was over and I was working day shifts so they could watch a few battles. Sadie wanted to walk home with me whenever Lucas stayed after for Pokéathlon training with a gym teacher; walking alone around the east side at any given time was a risky move. She'd get catcalls or loud whistles thrown her way at times but usually ignored them. If anyone were to do something beyond just words, she'd go after them before Lucas or I would dogpile in. Nobody in our house took abuse lying down.

The work environment was better than my previous job although Shawn still hadn't warmed up to me; he simply tolerated me which was good enough in my eyes. Wattson also gave me a few balls to go catch a Numel so I could patch up walls faster. Unfortunately, he wanted it to live at the gym and only be used for work. Arguing with him was pointless so I reluctantly accepted his idea. I was given the tools to succeed and it worked out overall.

"A challenger is in the lobby. Please make sure the field is clear of all debris," the receptionist said over the loudspeaker since Wattson was not in the gym again. He's been away from the field a lot in the time I started working.

"Anyone want to guess what's coming through that door?" Shawn sighed. "My money's on Trapinch."

Vivian folded her arms and hummed. "Hariyama. We haven't seen one in weeks."

"Sandslash," I said while pounding dirt into the field to make it smoother. We watched the door open before the young trainer took his place in the box. He shot a confused look at the referee

"Wattson's out? Is he trying to hide? Trapinch is looking to fight so can I battle someone to warm up?"

The three of us looked at each other and Shawn had this huge grin on his face. "Looks like a job for the ground unit duo. Have fun." Despite our differences, we loved seeing naive trainers talk a big game because of a type advantage.

"Guess so. Alright ref, what are the rules?"

"Both of you can use up to six Pokémon but only the challenger can substitute. The battle is over when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Now toss them out."

"Go Linoone!"

"Trapinch!" My opponent didn't waste any time getting started. "Bulldoze! Don't stop!" Its two front legs slammed into the ground. Linoone wobbled around while dealing with rocks hitting its body.

"Run straight ahead and use Headbutt!" I found it funny that he thought he could repeat the attack so Linoone wouldn't be able to get close.

Linoone nailed it when it was on its hind legs trying to make another shockwave. It was out cold and my partner hadn't taken much damage while running across the field; a near flawless round. The color in the trainer's face disappeared as the referee announced the verdict.

Our referee was filling out his scorecard. "How many Pokémon do you have?"

"S…s…six."

"You can send the next one out; the battle doesn't start until I say so."

"Trapinch," he whispered as the second one materialized.

Our second round wasn't interesting as I had Linoone run circles around it while using Pin Missile. Trapinch's speed was its main weakness and I exploited it at every turn. Using Headbutt didn't seem necessary since I wanted it to come to Linoone. The onslaught continued until I was handed the win.

"Next Pokémon please," the referee nonchalantly ordered trying not to smile at the beatdown on display.

"You know what? I think I'll forfeit," the trainer shyly said. "Goodbye." Sprinting to the exit with an arm over both eyes was something I didn't aim to do. Not a lot of people deserve to get embarrassed like that in a battle at a young age. Vivian gave chase since the loss didn't negate the chance for a gym battle. Shawn gave me a surprised look then let out a long whistle.

"Dude… you made him cry without even trying. That's actually very impressive," he said monotonously. "You might have the most interesting battle report from any assistant that's ever worked here." Shrugging my shoulders was all I could do as I went to fill out my paperwork.

A small annoyance, but I was glad that I had a paper trail that I could access at any time. If anyone said that I wasn't a good battler, I could show them I was technically average. Using the back was necessary to make sure I got in every detail about what happened. The door opened and Wattson put his bag down against the wall; he looked like a mix of angry and worried.

"Filling out that battle report? My meeting about the land New Mauville is on ran longer than I thought so thanks for that." Meeting? What meeting? That was news to me. Now wasn't the time to ask about it.

"Yup. It's been a long time since I've seen someone cry from a battle."

"Vivian's talking to him but I don't think he'll try again today. All trainers experience that at some point and the first time is the roughest." The phone rang on his desk. "Wattson here… I'll send Ryan."

"Something wrong?"

He sat in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "A Pokémon in the back had a tantrum and knocked some things over. Can you please clean it up with the broom and mop bucket? I should step out with Vivian to talk to that trainer. Shawn should be fine preparing the field on his own."

A Poochyena was being scolded by its owner as I went about cleaning up the mess in the day care. Sweeping dry food into a dustpan was easy; mopping near the water bowls was not. Moomoo Milk bottles were also kicked off the table as Poochyena became more frustrated with the owner. The worker soon escorted them out so I wouldn't have to repeat the process and stay longer than I had to.

Sadie was talking to Shawn near the door between the lobby and the field as I went to put everything away. A wave came my way and I waved back to acknowledge her. I did my best to put everything away as quickly as possible until I heard them going at it.

"Come on! Just a battle! If I win, I can take you on a date. If I lose then I won't bother you again," Shawn said. I peeked out of the storage room door.

"No! It's not going to happen! Leave me alone!" Sadie yelled back as she turned around toward the lobby. Shawn grabbed her forearm and pulled her closer to him. He was going to speak but she slapped him across the face before he could get a word out. The sound echoed throughout the gym and it sounded like a perfect hit.

"You bitch!" he spat back before slapping her.

I only saw her trying to yank her arm free before I went back in the room to find the closest thing to beat Shawn with. A heavy plastic yellow wet floor sign was the first thing that stood out so I grabbed it and ran to him. Sadie couldn't size him up although she swung wildly hoping to land a hit with her free hand. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion the moment I started running over.

Shawn heard my footsteps so he turned around to see me ready to swing the sign like a baseball bat but he threw his hands up above his shoulder. In one swing, his shoulder took most of the impact followed by his hands and then it grazed his head. He didn't let me get in another swing after tackling me to ground. We tried to pin each other while throwing haymakers but we were out of control; both of us landed about four solid hits compared to the dozens of punches we threw. I was on top when I was pulled off.

"Knock it off!" Kurt and Vivian had come in from the lobby but I was too focused on Shawn to care.

"No! He's mine!" I yelled as I blindly punched Kurt's arm in an attempt to break free; my eyes weren't leaving Shawn. Kurt adjusted his body, pinned me on the ground, and stood over me. By this point, the adrenaline rush was gone.

"Don't make me knock you out," he said while breathing heavily. With me being out of position and having nothing left in the tank, I had no choice but to sit there listening to Vivian and Shawn struggle. Wattson came in beyond angry with Magneton and the receptionist by his side.

"Get up! My office! Shawn first. Ryan, not a word until you're in my office or you're gone. I already asked that your sister wait in the lobby until we're done."

Time seemed to stop as I waited in the bleachers. Gym challengers were waiting for their chance to get some practice in with Ben, who missed the whole altercation, and Kirk. Vivian was still in the lobby if she didn't already go home. Half an hour went by until I was waved in to his office. Wattson's demeanor was slightly better although he looked like he could still lose his mind.

"What happened?" he calmly asked after he took a deep breath. Going through everything without whining or exaggerating was the best way to go; table talks at home were easier if I was blunt.

"I cleaned up the mess, put everything away, came back out to them yelling. Shawn then grabbed her arm after she refused a battle. The rest is history. That's my side."

He leaned back in his chair. "What was the battle going to be about?"

"A date."

"Hear me out: why didn't she battle? That usually solves small arguments. I know she tried to run, but you're her brother. All I'm trying to do is pick your brain." I bit my tongue so hard that it bled. It took every ounce of willpower not to lose my mind.

"She has a Castform from the Weather Institute and can't battle its way out of a paper bag. She would've lost and even if she  _did_  win, he would've kept harassing her. People like him don't go away just because of a battle. Why does that matter?"

"That's not what Shawn said," he said with no emotion; I shot him a dirty look. "Just being honest with you. I'm not picking sides."

I rubbed my eyes. "Fair enough. So, what now?"

"I'll review the cameras and make a decision tomorrow morning when you come in. Would you like to say anything else? I just wanted to hear your side of the story before you left."

Based on how my old job handled disputes, the two workers would be put on different shifts while things panned out or one would leave shortly after. Probation was an option if nobody was willing to change their hours or if it was impossible to move schedules around. Our issue was that we wanted to knock each other unconscious; probation wasn't a viable option.

"Just in case I never see or talk to him again, I have a message for Shawn."

Wattson was unsure about letting me continue but he knew he had been preaching about fairness. "Shawn went home for the day. What would you like to say to him if he were here?" I took a deep breath and stood up.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you don't like people from the east side of Mauville. I'm sorry that I don't own an electric Pokémon or even have a single electric move in my arsenal. I'm sorry you're an idiot and grabbed my sister even though she wanted nothing to do with you. I'm sorry that you couldn't feel how hard her punches would've been. I'm sorry that our fight was broken up so soon. I'm sorry that you came out of that with only minor bruises and cuts." With my feelings on the table, I left.

The gym was full of activity which made it easier for me to walk out undetected. Another worker pointed me to a conference room where Sadie went to cool off. Sniffling echoed throughout the room as I sat next to her in silence not wanting to talk until she acknowledged me; her head was down on the table.

"Why? Why did I wait to do anything? I should've battled just to get him off my back," she mumbled. She eventually sat up and wiped her eyes. "Castform would've lost though. Ryan, I don't know what to do now! What is mom going to say? What is dad going to say?"

For the first time in years, Sadie lost her cool. I'm not sure how much of it had to do with Shawn's words versus the fact that he assaulted her multiple times. Maybe the feeling of me having to jump in got to her more than what Shawn did. Dad always taught her to protect herself and it worked in school without fail. This was the first time that someone didn't have second thoughts about fighting back and had an upper hand for the whole time.

"Sadie, look at me," I softly urged. "We're going to tell mom what happened when she gets home, okay? Is dad working the night shift?" She nodded.

"Lucas still at school doing his workouts?"

"He's staying after all week."

I took a second to piece together everyone else's window for when they would be home. "Mom should still be at work. Do you want to visit her now?"

"Just take me home. I want to go home," she quickly whispered. We walked outside as quickly as possible with our heads down.

The walk home felt longer since I was visibly bruised and Sadie was still visibly upset; we looked like easy targets. Linoone was called out to act as a deterrent for anyone thinking about giving us problems. He could sense she was starting to break down so he kept nudging me. I convinced her to hold him the rest of the way by saying his feet were tired. Closing the door when we got home never felt so good. Sadie gave Linoone back before going to her room.

There wasn't much to do other than watch daytime television, think about my own fate, and wait for mom to come home. If I had landed a solid hit to Shawn's head with the wet floor sign, things would've gone down differently. The only question left was how harsh my punishment would be. Not sure if my message to Shawn would impact Wattson's decision or if it would even be relayed, but I wanted to make sure I got my point across before Shawn gets punished.

If I had a chance to redo that one moment in time, I'd do the same thing.


	3. Playing With Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

Linoone slept by the door as I watched a replay of a matinee baseball game taking place in the Johto region. I did my best to not completely shut my brain down since mom would be coming through the door soon. I wanted to skip the talk for two reasons: Sadie knew more about the situation and I didn't know my status at the gym. Linoone's head perked up as footsteps approached the door. Mom was home at her usual time and Sadie ran downstairs before either of us could get a word out.

"Mom, I need to talk to you," Sadie mumbled with her head down.

"Honey, what's wrong?" We saw a tear streak down her eye as she started to sniffle. "Let's sit at the kitchen table and talk."

"No. My room. I want to talk in my room." I felt a switch flip in mom's head and she knew this wasn't something small.

Whether or not Sadie intentionally left me out of the conversation, it saved me the trouble of answering questions I had no knowledge of. Their conversation seemingly started out normal because I didn't hear anything. As time went on, Sadie had frequent outbursts. Lucas came home in the middle of one only to go in the backyard five seconds later. Sobbing followed for another few minutes before her door opened.

"Ryan! Please sit at the kitchen table and have Lucas go outside. I need to talk to you," mom called down.

"Let me tell him." I walked to the back door and saw him relaxing in a chair. "Don't come in until we're out of the kitchen."

"What for?"

"Later. I'll tell you later," I sighed. "Linoone! Go outside with Lucas for a bit!" He did so without hesitation. Mom was on the phone when I came back into the kitchen.

"Do whatever you think is best. Sadie's very upset about the whole thing… she's in her room… see you later." She took a deep breath while motioning me to sit. "Your sister told me everything. I'm glad you kept her from getting hurt but why did you hit Shawn with a wet floor sign?"

I took a long pause then came up with something. "Yellow was an easy color to see so I went for the sign. I just wanted him to let go of her."

"Fair enough; I get that telling someone else about the problem wasn't really ideal in this case." Mom leaned back. "Still, what if you severely injured him? Then what? We're glad you stopped him, but you can't go overboard like that!"

"You're kidding, right? I was in a storage closet!" I snapped back. "A hammer, nail gun, harmful chemicals, a piece of thick lumber! I had so many items around me that could've killed him yet I picked the weakest one! He should be lucky that his ass isn't in the hospital or even the Pokémon Center."

Her eyes widened. "Don't you swear in this house!"

"Fuck that! We've got bigger things to worry about!"

"Ryan, I can worry about more than one thing at a time. I don't care how mad you are. Watch your language!" She'd probably have a heart attack if she saw me in the break room or when challengers weren't around. "Anyway, what's going to happen to you two?" Not what I wanted to hear.

"Wattson met with us individually and we'll have to wait until tomorrow for our punishments. Worst case, I go to jail. Best case, I keep my job and never work with him again. I go in for the morning shift tomorrow."

We sat at the table in silence thinking about every possible outcome. Mom eventually left but not before sniffling and wiping her eyes. Lucas came in with Linoone to fix himself dinner before turning on the television. I heard dad open the door an hour later and sprint upstairs. Sadie only had one outburst although it was drawn out. His feet thumped around in the master bedroom with mom walking around afterward. He then came into the kitchen.

I couldn't get a read on how upset he was at the situation but I could only imagine what he was like before. He cooked himself dinner and ate silently with a straight face. The moment I went to get a glass of water was the moment he dropped the fork on his plate.

"You had quite a day, Ryan," he casually stated.

"Yup. I could've made it more interesting," I calmly replied while bringing the pitcher over to the table.

Dad poured himself a glass of water. "I'm not necessarily mad at you for what you did. You mother isn't mad either. We were concerned that you did something far worse than how Sadie and you described it. Now that the initial shock is gone, everything is being put into perspective. Unfortunately, we have to wait until tomorrow before moving to the next steps. Do you have anything for me?"

"Please don't even mention the gym to anyone until I know more. It's bad enough Wattson made me wait. Although, he's willing to look over the security cameras."

"Waiting isn't going to be fun for any of us." He got up and hugged me. "We're proud of you guys for staying out of big trouble for this long but this was worth getting in trouble for. We love you guys and we love that you watch out for each other. Lucas and Sadie are glad that you walk them home whenever they visit the gym. Remember that mom and I aren't mad at you. Please, try not to swear in the house. Your mother didn't have the best family growing up and she doesn't want our house turning back into her old one."

I hugged him back. "Thanks dad." He made a call before walking to the front door.

"I'm going back to work. My boss was willing to take a short drive and give me a longer break. Sadie just wants to be alone even though I offered to stay. Don't bother her for the rest of the night, okay?" He turned to Lucas as he shut the door. "Keep this to yourself. If anyone hears about it at school, it better not come from your mouth."

The rest of the night consisted of me sitting in my room reading to pass the time. Linoone trotted in and hopped in my lap so I pet him. He looked concerned and how could I blame him? The entire afternoon was filled with everyone shouting. I threw myself in bed the moment I started to zone out. Morning arrived a lot faster than I wanted it to. My only plan for the day was expect anything and go from there.

The walk to the gym was the same as usual although I felt like I was walking into a trap the closer I got to the entrance. What if Wattson was going to have someone from the league there and I got arrested? Did I really need the money or experience anymore? I could just run away as a trainer but then how would I go about challenging him for a badge? The more I thought about it, the more complex my life would be if I skipped the visit. I went straight for Wattson's office only to find out it was locked. The receptionist pulled me away from the door and told me that he was in a conference call.

"You have to understand that a group of investors from another region wanted to improve and expand New Mauville. He's been thinking about this over the past few days and is trying to get a better idea of what they want to do." Oh right, that didn't help his mood either.

"How long until he's done? I have an appointment too."

"He knows about that. When he's done, he's done. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait in the lobby until he calls me."

"Whatever works."

One hour later, I was finally called into his office. Papers scattered on his desk and a broken phone against the wall were the first two things I noticed. Magneton was floating around absentmindedly as he paced around the desk.

"Shawn has already been fired and banned from the gym for one year," he said after composing himself.

"So? What's my future looking like?" I shot back out of instinct as if I didn't care about what happened to him; I did care. He let out a deep sigh.

"After looking the film over, I have no choice but to fire you too." We looked at each other in silence for a bit as the words sunk in; it was like a punch to the gut when he sighed again and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?"

"You swung a sign at his head! If he didn't throw his hands up, you could've killed him! That was beyond crossing the line!"

I pounded the desk and went nose to nose with him. "It's a fucking hard plastic sign! You're telling me that a grown man can die from getting hit with that!?" Magneton started discharging small amounts of electricity around itself so I backed off.

"Ryan, our heads aren't like the heads of most Pokémon. Humans aren't meant to take blows to the head. If I were to land one good hit to your head, I could kill you. There are a lot of factors to consider but the possibility exists."

"You know what? Fuck it! Now that you're done deciding my future, care to tell me what the league is going to do? If you think I'm going to let this slide, you're wrong."

"You'll be visited later today and I can imagine Shawn being put on probation for starters."

"That's it!? I know your punishment is different than the league front office, but really!? He slapped my sister across the face and then fought me!"

He pounded the desk. "Everyone involved knows that! But not everyone knows about the 'apology' you told me and I decided not to tell anyone about it. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you were saying it in the heat of the moment. And I said probation was for starters! I will cooperate with the investigation but as far as I'm concerned, it's out of my hands."

"Unbelievable," I mumbled. "Sounds like we're done here. Guess I'll just find something else to do!" I sarcastically yelled as I walked to the door.

"If you think the decision to fire you two and ban you from the gym was an easy decision, then you're sorely mistaken." I slammed the door and stormed outside.

The abandoned game corner on the southwest side of town was a perfect place to let out my frustration. Decaying planks of wood were readily available to throw against the wall or slam into other objects not taken out of the building. I fired off every curse word I could think of and started to get colorful with my phrases until I tired myself out. A construction worker and a man in a suit holding a briefcase noticed me climb out of a side window into the alley.

"Hey kid! What were you doing in there?"

I shook my head and laughed. "First off, I'm 22 years old. Second, I needed to vent. What could I possibly do to make this place look any worse than it already is without tearing it down? Hell, I probably improved this piece of shit." The construction worker took a step forward.

"Oh yeah? Well, let me tell you that you aren't going to just sneak in anymore. This piece of shit is opening back up."

My jaw dropped. "Didn't people wanted this shut down for good?" The businessman stepped forward.

"That may have been the case, but business is business. A man that used to run the Joyful Game Corner in the Sevii Islands figured he could make more money on traditional casino games. Here's all the legal paperwork if you have a problem with it," he said while unlocking the case to show me a thick packet of paper.

I snatched the packet and skimmed through it. "Guess so. Opening in a few weeks though? Seems awfully fast to go from a dump to a fully functioning game corner."

The businessman lost color in his face. "You… you actually skimmed it? I thought you'd just look at it and give it back."

"When you outline the proposal with a table of contents, it's not that hard to find anything. Besides, looking between the lines goes a long way in this city. My mom deals with contracts and warranties all the time," I casually explained. The two looked at each other nervously.

"Only city officials know about this because they're trying to minimize the backlash of it opening up again. We need this to be kept a secret until the promotion period starts. Besides, the new owner has a large team ready to go which explains why the turnaround time is so short." I stood there with a blank expression before giving back the packet.

"Now do us a favor and get lost!" the construction worker barked before opening a blueprint sheet. I processed everything with a blank expression, but the businessman reached into his pocket.

"Here's the deal kid. In my pocket is 2,000 poké, also referred to as 'P,' to keep your mouth shut. If word gets around that this place is going up before we start promoting or if you step over caution tape in the future, you'll be in for a lot more trouble than you think. Be smart about this."

Money clearly wasn't a factor to this man since I gave no indication of spreading the news around town. I left without further incident and went straight home to add the money to my stash. Between working my janitorial job, my job at the gym, paying for my own things as needed, and helping the family in a pinch or two in my four years since graduation, I had about 12,000P. Adding the bribe brought the total to 14,000.

Was it a lot on paper? Absolutely; most trainers didn't have that much lying around ready to spend. Was it going to last an entire journey? Unless I won some battles, no. Necessities like healing items along with better gear for me was going to nail my wallet at the start. Linoone being my only Pokémon was going to keep costs down for a bit but maybe I would have to rely on Pokémon Centers to help me out with pity items from time to time.

Lunch rolled around before I realized that I had the house to myself. Dad had a morning shift because he usually sleeps during the day; my parent's door was wide open. I let Linoone out to roam around although he wasn't acting like himself. He eventually started to stare at me from across the room.

"What's wrong buddy? Hungry?" He shook his head and scampered to my feet. "Oh, who am I kidding. We're done with the gym. Fired. Gone. We can't even go back until the suspension is up. All because I wanted to teach Shawn a lesson."

"Noooooon," he angrily grunted after starting into space. I knew he remembered how upset Sadie was.

"Amazing how everything went to shit in a flash. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not formally registered as a trainer so that might complicate things. Don't worry though, we're still going to travel across the region. We'll just have a late start."

The next few hours were spent figuring out what my team was going to be like. Schools taught kids early on that a water type for trainers was a necessity because it would be easier to access more of Hoenn. Ferries existed across the region for anyone without a Pokémon to ride on, but they cost money and were generally slower.

In addition to water, I'd need a fire or flying type to deal with annoying grass Pokémon and their status inducing moves. An electric Pokémon to handle all the water types or zap other people if it ever came down to that would be nice. Aside from those three slots, anything else was fair game. My only concern was that I'd make a team full of glass cannons or slow walls; diversity in types and stats would come in handy the longer into my journey.

When the time came, I left the house to meet my siblings at school so that they wouldn't go to the gym. Sadie still looked down in the dumps while Lucas was adamant about taking the day off from training. I wasn't sure if they fully realized my situation because they didn't say a word on the way home. Dad was still in his uniform as we entered.

"Anything happen today, Ryan?" I looked at the floor as my siblings went upstairs. "Take a seat. Tell me everything that happened," he softly urged. A knock came at the door before we could get settled in and I went to answer it. A man in a collared shirt and dress pants was holding a folder.

"Ryan? I'm with the Pokémon League. Do you have a minute? I figured you would be home around this time based on your normal work hours."

I took a deep breath. "Sure, come on in. We're in the kitchen."

He quickly sat down and started organizing his papers after introducing himself to my dad. A quick phone call tool place to what we assumed was the league headquarters before turning his attention to us.

"The Pokémon League has looked into the incident at Mauville's gym a few days ago and has made their decision."

"That was fast. What's going to happen?" He looked over what looked like the formal letter that I was going to receive.

"In addition to the punishment Wattson administered, your trainers license will be suspended one month." Laughter almost came out of my mouth.

"That's funny… because I'm technically not a trainer. I never signed up to participate in the Ever Grande Conference. Doesn't your database know that?"

"Is that so?" he said with a grin. "Well you don't have a tangible license like every other trainer. You are what we call a 'limited trainer' because you worked in a gym under certain rules whereas unrestricted trainers are the ones that usually collect badges. Before the incident, your record was 71 wins and 57 losses and the league knows that."

My dad leaned over the table. "How does that affect my son going forward?" he asked somewhat angrily.

The agent kept his composure. "Ryan will not be allowed to apply for the usual, unrestricted license until a month has passed. His face is in our database and a picture is required when receiving any type of trainer license. However, he will be labeled as 'terminated' so he does not try to take advantage of league perks. Our system will tell every Pokémon Center computer that he is suspended as a trainer until the period is up. However, he may still heal his Pokémon there or use them for shelter."

"So what you're telling me is that my son will have to put his journey on hold?"

"Correct in the sense that he's not allowed to collect badges. He is free to roam the region as he pleases or train on his own time."

"And what about Shawn?"

"Unfortunately, he left the city before we could reach him. Since it's technically an open case, we're not allowed to tell you what it will be. According to Wattson, he came in to his office before you did; we assume it was last night before the gym closed or just before dawn. There was a small struggle before Shawn ran away for good. Nobody knows where he is."

I was well beyond furious. It's bad enough he hit my sister, but to run away from it all? He's getting a beatdown if I ever see him again.

"He can't run for that long, can he?"

"Depends how smart he is," the man replied while shrugging his shoulders. "Any visit he takes to a league affiliated place will be a risky one, especially where his information is required. Until then, he's going to keep running until someone catches him. We already put out a region wide notice."

My dad took care of everything else until the meeting was over. Papers upon papers were given to us explaining the situation and how to handle my suspension. The one thing I got out of it was that I could still battle other people or participate in contests. Any money I won in those events could be withheld until my suspension was up or the party could refuse to pay me which added another level of frustration.

When mom came home, everything went back to chaos. We tried to explain everything to her as she interrupted us at every turn. Lucas and Sadie were told the whole story as well. The sun was finally gone when everything was out in the open. I thought about going after Shawn on top of the league but I'm not sure if I would have the money or time for it. I needed to get out of the house.

"Going out for a bit! Be back later tonight!" I yelled upstairs as a courtesy before running out the door. A pair of feet came downstairs as I put my hand on the knob.

"Don't do it, Ryan… please," Sadie said with tears streaking down her face.

"Come here," I whispered back. She threw her arms around me and buried her head in my chest. "I won't try to find him. I just need to go to my place to vent."

She looked at the floor. "I'm sorry about all of this. It's all my fault."

I rubbed her head. "You did nothing wrong. I'm not mad at you for this. We may not always get along, but you're still my little sister. I'll be damned if I just let someone treat you that way in front of me and do nothing about it. Are people at school bothering you about this?"

"Not to my face. Some people know about it though."

"Don't let them get to you if you can help it, okay? Use your resources. You don't take shit from anyone, understand?"

"Yup."

"Good." She walked back upstairs feeling slightly more confident about the situation.

I put the bribe money from earlier in my pocket and headed to the south entrance. Drunk people from all walks of life roamed the streets trying to find the next thing to try like kids on a new playground. My own playground required me to have a variety of items from the mart and be sober as possible. After hanging out by the Cycling Road docks looking at the ships and buying a ticket, a ferry carrying tourists approached its designated area.

"Thank you for using the Express Ferry to visit New Mauville. Enjoy the rest of the night! It's a beautiful one," a gruff voice yelled from the stern. I waited for everyone to get off before waving to the captain.

Vinny was a man who was passionate about sailing. He was 45 years old and in great shape because of all his time on the high seas. Mister Briney took him on as a cabin boy when Vinny was 15 before he retired a few years later. Captain Stern took him in after Briney recommended him and he worked his way up from cabin boy to captain. Whenever he wasn't on an expedition or home, he was ferrying people to New Mauville. Since I went there a lot and my dad talked to him during breaks, I was closer to him than the average person.

"Oh? Well look who it is! Ryan! How are you doing tonight?"

"Looking to train. I haven't been to New Mauville in a long time."

"Catching anything tonight?"

"Maybe. How long are you guys running before you're done for the night?" He went from cheerful to concerned.

"This trip and two other trips. Security will have to take you back if you miss the last ferry. Are you really planning to stay over there for three hours?"

"I need to escape the city for a bit. Battling clears my head."

A small group of tourists took the ferry over with the intent of exploring the island. I went straight into the facility and tried to find anyone willing to battle on the ground floor. When nobody wanted to battle, I was forced to go deeper underground past the now inactive generator.

New Mauville used to be limited to just the first floor, but Wattson slowly started to add more floors underground to lure in more adventurous people. There were 69 floors constructed but the public is cut off at the eighth-floor stairwell due to the lack of development past that area. An elevator was available for everyone, but very few were brave enough to go to the ninth floor or below. Most of the budget for the first dozen floors was allocated to structural integrity and the project stalled when funding stopped. The explorable floors were mostly just a series of storage rooms whereas the rest of the floors were open spaces as far as I knew.

Voltorb and Magnemite were the only two Pokémon that thrived in the environment so finding one wasn't hard. Unfortunately, the ones past the fifth floor were more hostile to visitors. Very rarely would they attack a defenseless human so they would use their numbers to force people back up the stairs. Security could be called with a simple device given to those who ask for it. The "enter at your own risk" approach was mentioned back at the ticket booth and not too many tourists risked the unknown.

"Go away! Shoo!" a woman's voice yelled on the third floor. A Magnemite was casually hovering over a man and a woman my age. "Cecil, call out Ninjask! Dig is our best choice!"

"Right! Ninjask, I need some help! Go underneath the floor!"

Magnemite stared ahead absentmindedly as the new foe in front of it prepared to attack. Its mood changed when Ninjask popped up to land a huge hit. To our surprise, it didn't faint. It then fired off a Spark attack that knocked out their line of defense.

"Linoone! I need you to distract it with Tail Whip!" My plan worked better than I thought because it showed no interest in fighting Linoone. It focused on the tail and then on Linoone as it ran around. "Go Poké Ball!" The ball wobbled a bit before coming to a stop; it was mine.

"Thank you so much," Cecil panted. "Dig was taught via TM for situations like this but I'm confused. Why didn't it faint? And where was security? We pressed the button on the device."

I stared at its ball. "Sturdy is a great ability. It prevents a knockout when Magnemite is at full health. And security takes some time to get to you. I'm Ryan by the way."

He shook my hand. "Cecil. And this is my girlfriend, Maddie. We're not really into battling so Ninjask and her Chimecho are the only things we have."

"Was Chimecho unable to battle?"

Maddie sheepishly looked away. "Yeah. We were trying to get out and it's more of a healer than a fighter. Thanks for the distraction. I think you should keep Magnemite since neither of us want it. Although… it looked cute for a bit."

She was right; it looked like it wanted to play more than battle. I don't blame them for going on the offensive since wild Pokémon are unpredictable.

"Hello? Everything okay down there?" a security guard asked from the stairwell.

"We're fine now. Could you escort them back to the first floor?"

"Hold on!" Another teenage couple came out from a pair of boxes. "We only have water Pokémon but we really need to leave."

Cecil shot them a dirty look for not helping as the security guard called out his Sandslash. I continued wandering around with Linoone out as I went deeper. He was on his game and didn't allow himself to get paralyzed. Magnemite was happy when I let it out despite being low on health; it got happier when I healed it back to full strength.

Some older teenagers made their way to the elevator where two guards slightly older than me were standing. After a quick talk, they allowed them to take the elevator down to the ninth floor which immediately piqued my interest. Security never bothered to stay down here so that was also a red flag. They didn't care about their appearance so acting professional wasn't the ideal option.

"Take me down to the ninth floor."

Both of them laughed my request off. "Good one! You should go to amateur hour at the comedy club." My patience was as low as it could go.

"I'm pissed off and need to let off some steam. Some underground battling would be nice. I have faith in my skill otherwise I wouldn't be so far down here this late at night." They weren't laughing anymore.

"Watch your language if you know what's good for you," one growled while reaching for a Great Ball.

"Language is an intangible thing you dipshit. How am I supposed to watch something I can't see?" His partner in the back started to snicker but the other one tossed his ball.

"Makuhita! Teach him some manners!"

Dammit! Well, one option is better than the other. "Go Magnemite!" It came out emotionless but it was aware of the situation.

I felt the confidence drain out of my body after his partner got out of the line of fire. What attacks did my new partner know besides Spark? A Pokédex would've told me if I had one. I could've battled with it before this point. Nope, I let Linoone do all the work since Magnemite battling other Magnemites or Voltorbs would be too tedious. Fuck me.

"Okay Magnemite, Spark!" Its body became engulfed in electricity before ramming into Makuhita as fast it could.

"Shake it off and use Vital Throw!" Fists flew before it grabbed a hold of my partner and slammed it into the ground.

Magnemite reacted on its own by emitting a soundwave that caused Makuhita to cover its ears. Light started to form at the end of its magnets before it was shot out as a beam. The concentrated attack landed a direct hit to the stomach and the fighting type instantly collapsed.

"Damn… good shit Magnemite," I mumbled in awe.

It's like a switch went off inside of it when it battled; it didn't look concerned about winning or showing off its strength. But why was it so happy after the battle? Battling out of self-defense usually resulted in a Pokémon wanting to get away from the problem yet there it was, just hovering in place. It wasn't hostile when I caught it and obviously wasn't shy about battling. What a weird Pokémon.

The man quickly recalled his partner and sprinted to the taped off stairwell. I went to chase him but was met with a grinning Sableye. Magnemite got between us with sparks coming from its magnets.

"Morons who designed this place didn't think to make the elevator go faster or put in another one," the other guard said with a hint of annoyance. "At least I won't be bored. Sableye, use Night Shade!"

Its eyes flashed before a beam of black energy nailed Magnemite. I didn't order a counterattack since my partner opted for Spark. Hitting it was hard because Sableye climbed on the boxes. Any momentum that I thought I had was gone when it started to throw empty crates. I ordered my Pokémon to charge ahead with Spark and got in a hit when it looked close to fainting.

"Finish it off with Shadow Sneak!" Sableye's body sunk into the floor and moved around until it was behind its target; Magnemite never saw it coming.

"Some security you guys are. All that for one Magnemite I caught a few minutes ago?"

He laughed and shook his head. "You don't want to go to the ninth floor if you're struggling this much. Just take the ferry back."

"I still have one Pokémon left. Go Linoone!" He went from surprised to confused.

"Won't do you much good, kid. You can't hit us with anything. Why bother continuing?"

"Night Shade and Shadow Sneak won't affect Linoone. I'll be perfectly happy to stall you out if it means I can battle other trainers here for some cash. I have all night."

"You can't stall me out. Sableye, use Fury Swipes!" he ordered with a smirk. I wasn't ready for the quick strike and Linoone couldn't escape the constant scratching on his own.

"Pin Missile!"

The smirk faded as Sableye took a beating from three separate rounds of needles to its body. Neither of us wanted to make a move after there was some distance between them. He didn't know that was all I had to hit him with and I didn't know his fourth attack.

"Baby-Doll Eyes!" Not only did my Pokémon put on a cute face, it put its two front paws together pleading for it not to attack.

"Don't fall for that fake look! Keep swiping at it!"

I figured messing around wasn't the way to go anymore. "Pin Missile! Fire away!"

Both Pokémon ran around trying to get their hits in. Crates were used as shields or a place to pivot before trying to strike. Sableye got creative and started throwing broken pieces of wood for a distraction or with intent to hurt Linoone. Unless there was a rusty nail involved, it wasn't a concern.

After using its superior speed, Linoone got behind it and fired at its back. Sableye was too tired to stand up or even defend itself. The guard panicked and tossed out a Voltorb which was immediately met with Headbutt. It fainted after another one and I started to walk to the stairs; the elevator came up with the first guard, a man with brown hair wearing a cloak with a blue undershirt, sunglasses, and a bodyguard was beside him as well.

"What do I see here? You're telling me that this trainer beat both of you with only a Magnemite and Linoone?" the cloaked man calmly asked.

"It was a fluke! We just have to heal up and he'll be running home scared!"

"Silence! You two got complacent. Not many are willing to come down here aside from the ones I invite. Then when you finally get tested, you lose!? When you have a clear advantage in numbers  _and_ typing!? Pathetic!" He turned to me. "Tell me something, boy: why are you down here? I'm genuinely curious."

"You want to know why? I'll tell you why," I whispered with a fake smile. "I lost my job at the gym! I'm suspended from anything involving the league! I'm pissed off! This is my city and I know where all the underground battling is to blow off steam and make some money. Now are you going to let me through or do I have to battle you too?"

"Such anger," he noted to his bodyguard before turning back to me. "You are very adamant about moving on. How would you like to go to the next floor?"

"Finally! Let's go."

His bodyguard patted me down before I took the elevator down to the ninth floor. It was a wide-open area with a portable healing machine far away from the field. Eight other trainers were sitting on folding chairs. All of them shot me a look as if I was prey and they were going to gang up on me. This wasn't some average battle ring out of a back alley. These trainers looked too refined for petty gambling.

"This man has earned the right to be here with his performance on the eighth floor. I don't want any harm to come to him. Are we clear?" Everyone solemnly nodded. "Excellent. To test his limits, I will battle him and then we will go from there." Nobody saw that coming. Even the bodyguard was surprised.

"What are the rules?"

"You may use all of your Pokémon while I will use only one. If either of us recall our Pokémon at any time, then it is considered fainted for the rest of the battle."

My anger rose exponentially. "Don't mock me! If you brought six Pokémon, use all fucking six of them!"

He remained steadfast. "As you wish. Heal up first."

Mumbling from the crowd started to get louder as the bodyguard moved everyone to a safe distance. The words "crazy" and "idiotic" were frequently used but I didn't care. Obstacle after obstacle kept me from reaching this point. Now was the moment I was waiting for.

"How do you want to start?" I asked seeing everything was in place.

"You can have the first move but let me make my choice. Go Alakazam!"

The bravado and anger drained from my body when it materialized. Psychic types were hard to deal with if a trainer didn't have their own or a dark type. Steel types were the third best option, but Magnemite was far too weak to stand a chance; Linoone wouldn't fare much better. Sturdy could allow me to get off a hit so I had that going for me.

"Here we go Magnemite! Use Spark!"

He mocked me by not ordering it to dodge. Magnemite did its thing and a few sparks came out of Alakazam's body. My opponent frowned although he didn't let the paralysis of his partner to get to him.

"Fire Punch!" It shook off the paralysis and jumped forward to land a powerful punch on the top of Magnemite as opposed to square in the eye.

"Quick! Use your sound attack!" I sounded like an idiot for not knowing the attack name; every other trainer tried to hide their laughter. It responded by emitting a frequency that made Alakazam uncomfortable.

"Strike back!" Paralysis took effect forcing Alakazam to stay put.

"Use your beam attack!" Again, it wasn't an accurate description but I got the point across. All that mattered was the attack found its mark.

"Psychic! Slam it against the ground!"

My luck finally ran out since Magnemite was no longer in control of its body. A few collisions into the ground were all it took before it fell unconscious. I felt bad about how much I asked it to do despite owning it for just under one hour; I wouldn't be surprised if it hated me when I called it out next.

"Next up is Linoone! Tail Whip!" Alakazam as a species has awful defenses but I thought it could live a hit from my strongest Pokémon.

"Psychic!" Luck favored me as it went down on one knee from paralysis.

"Charge in with Headbutt!"

His calm demeanor started to fade. "Dammit Alakazam! Psychic!"

Linoone wasn't halfway there when he was lifted off the ground. Like Magnemite, it was tossed around the field or spun around. I noticed the hold wasn't as strong as before and it was laboring.

"Pin Missile! Break the hold!"

Small needles were fired as fast as Linoone could get them out. A few found their mark while others forced the audience to run away from the field. He was eventually dropped and I noticed how heavy his breathing was. My opponent had five other Pokémon in reserve so I did the one thing that I swore I would never do.

"I forfeit. Linoone, return," I solemnly stated as the beam brought him back to safety.

"Do you have any more Pokémon?"

"Nope. Just these two."

He silently pointed to the healing machine while personally tending to Alakazam. After I healed my partners and turned around, he was standing by the elevator while the bodyguard stood by the stairs going back up.

"Don't think you can simply leave."


	4. Bouncing Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

My mind went blank as my only two ways of escape were blocked off by a man who had superior Pokémon and another person that could manhandle me. A few laughs came from the group of trainers knowing I was in a trap. The only place to go was down and there was no guarantee that I'd be able to hide or get back up safely. I felt uneasy that they were cool with everything that was going on. For the first time in years, I was completely helpless.

"Before our battle, I promised that you wouldn't get harmed. I will keep that promise. However, you must stay until the end of the night without battling." My stomach was in a giant knot. I had no clue what that meant and had no choice but to wait it out.

"Okay then. Can I take a seat?" I asked sheepishly. He motioned for me to sit while the bodyguard took out a piece of paper. The man stepped forward to address the other trainers.

"The rest of you were invited here because you are some of the top battlers that failed to make it past the first elimination battle of last year's Hoenn League tournament. I thank you for not taking offense to that unlike others that I have asked. I know there is a spot in the company for one of you. Jon Doe will be the referee tonight."

The bodyguard stepped forward. "You were assigned a number from one to eight when you arrived. They were randomly assigned and do not reflect your rank so don't take the matchups personally. Every battle will be a single elimination six on six battle with substitutions. Number one will battle number eight in the first round."

I almost threw up when nobody's real name was used. Even the most brutal back alley fights had people with names. Sometimes they had nicknames like "Mauville Menace" or other street names similar to their real name, but at least they could be identified down the road. What did I get myself into?

Both trainers were all business as they took their places. The first round was fast paced with a Crawdaunt going against a Vigoroth. After Crawdaunt fainted, playtime was over. Aggron was the next choice to take on Vigoroth and when that matchup went Aggron's way, Slaking took the field. Raw power described in a textbook was nothing compared to seeing it on display. Despite my current situation, I enjoyed the battle until the end.

"Congratulations on your victory number eight. As for number one, have a seat and wait until the end of the night. Next up is two versus seven."

From the start of that battle and beyond, only fully evolved Pokémon saw the field. Every trainer had a diverse team in type and utility. Number seven was the eventual winner and he showed no emotion after the announcement. Getting knocked out of the first round must've been a terrible feeling for them when it happened. I could only imagine the strength of the people who beat them.

"We appreciate you for coming out," the ringleader said after gathering everyone together. "We could catch the last ferry back to Mauville, but I have a better alternative. Follow me please."

"Just curious, what about the battle area? We really tore it up," number seven noted as he went to heal his Pokémon one last time.

"From what I gathered, we can leave it as is. The structural integrity is still fine and it is common knowledge that wild Pokémon are very hostile beyond the tourist areas. There are no cameras installed on closed off floors yet so we're fine. Now let's get out of here."

Jon Doe called out an Abra to teleport us on a yacht still docked to the side of the island. We were treated to a nice spread of food before we were called into the captain's quarters one by one. Number seven and I were the only ones left after we saw the others get off. They were surprisingly calm after everything they went through. No grumbling about losing or hanging their head about not getting a spot in the company. Just a stone face.

"Young man, you're next," Jon grunted while motioning to me shortly after another trainer left. He led me to the ringleader and motioned me to sit down across from him.

"My apologies, but I never got your name. You may call me V. Mister V."

I wanted to know more, but I was on his turf now. If anything went bad, I couldn't rely on my Pokémon to bail me out. He was in complete control of the situation so I didn't want to press the name issue.

"Ryan."

"Ah! Excellent! I'd like to offer you a spot in my company, Ryan."

My head slightly tilted. "But I didn't beat you. Hell, my team isn't really that strong compared to everyone else tonight."

He handed me a brochure. "Pokémon Services is a company has many positions for people like you. As the owner, I'd like to offer you a job as a fundraising specialist."

Both men waited for me to finish reading it over. Apparently, the company was expanding into Hoenn from Orre and they specialized in Pokémon medicine. Rehabilitation and specialized surgery seemed to be their two moneymakers but they were also heavy on researching Pokémon like professor Birch. Their pictures ranged from a Lombre doing water therapy to a surgery team working on a Breloom's leg.

"You guys established here yet?"

"We're opening up on the far north side of town in a few days. The reception area and conference rooms are open for anyone with an appointment. After we bring over some equipment on a cargo ship, we'll be fully operational. I can take you there if you'd like."

"Maybe later. Now what do you want me to do exactly? People who work at fundraisers are so cheerful while I'm not."

He leaned back in his chair. "My sources tell me that a game corner is opening up soon. There will be a battle area for cash prizes inside of it as well; the first one is on opening night. All I want you to do is battle in tournaments and win the prize money." I knew business ethics from certain companies were questionable at times, but hearing that was a surprise. I didn't want to question how or why that made sense for fear of blowing this job opportunity. Still, I was taken aback.

"Let me get this straight for a second. You want  _me_  of all people to battle for a cash prize!? Again, my team isn't ready for the big time and I'm not in a good spot in terms of my personal life. I didn't know my Magnemite's attack names!"

"But you're smart," he sincerely noted. "Other trainers in your spot would've been foolish to think they could actually win. I knew you were upset and wanted you to blow off some steam. After you saw Alakazam, you went from being in a blind rage to taking a rational approach."

That compliment felt good to hear although I was confused. "How? I was clearly outmatched from the start. A smart person would've forfeited on the spot."

"True, but you hid that feeling very well. I noticed that you calmed down, but you didn't cower or indicate that you were scared. You also didn't try to overestimate your power. By using Magnemite's sturdy to get off a hit, you turned the battle in your favor for a bit and stayed patient before striking."

This man was putting too much faith in me. "Let's say for the sake of argument that I acted against everything you see in me and tonight was just a fluke. You still hire me and soon I'm terrible at this job. What will happen next? This is honestly a big gamble you're taking. Being in Mauville may make your company thrive, but the business climate is ruthless. You'll have competition coming within a few months."

"Then we will fire you to save costs and you'll be free to go about your business. However, I think you just need the tools to succeed because you're naturally smart and resourceful. I can lend you Pokémon to battle so there's less pressure. They're strong and are responsive to anyone with a company badge."

"Can I bring them to other battles? I know where to make some quick money and this is one of those places. I'm assuming you kicked out the people that usually come here because security is never stationed down here."

He sat up straight and leaned in. "They better come back fully healed," he bluntly stated. "I'd limit the number of outings or at least space them out so people can forget about you over time. Maybe a disguise or two? You better know what you're doing at all times."

"They'll be fine and I can handle myself," I shot back. "But in all honesty, I'm not sure if I want to accept your offer right now. This is a lot to take in."

A snap of his fingers made the guard pull out a card. "This is my gift to you. If you come to the facility and present this to the receptionist, she will know what to do. Are there any questions?"

"One, actually. How long does this offer last?"

"I'd love to hear from you by next week, but I'm not sure if there are a lot of people in your position. You know the area, you know your limits, and you're a young trainer with a lot of potential." I wasn't about to tell him that I technically wasn't a trainer for fear of not getting the job. It's not like he would look me up anyway based on my job description.

"Give me some time and I'll at least tell you my decision."

"Very well. I think it would be in both our interests not to tell anyone _exactly_  what happened tonight or parts of this conversation. Feel free to share this pamphlet since we're ready to send them out. Tell anyone that you got a job offer if you'd like. Before I forget, Magnemite's attacks were Metal Sound which lowers special defense and Mirror Shot which may lower accuracy. I've read up on Hoenn's Pokémon before coming here."

"Fair enough."

He stood up and shook my hand. "Thank you for coming. Jon will escort you back to the city line while I will talk to our champion from tonight. I look forward to hearing your decision at some point." Jon called Abra out to teleport us to the south gate after I explained that I met a group of people that planned on teleporting out. I think he was worried about me but shrugged it off and started his closing routine.

The clocks downtown read 12:15 am so I thought about staying out to enjoy the nightlife. Then again, I wasn't following most dress codes for the bars with just a shirt and shorts. Spending money anywhere would've been a bad idea too since I wasn't sure if I could win a street battle or two. I kept my head high on the way home knowing I had an offer.

A group of four teenagers a few blocks from my house were trying to take advantage of couples trying to go to the heart of downtown. It was a simple demand for money that turned into a verbal berating as the couples ran away or called out their Pokémon to defend themselves. Zangoose was a Pokémon sent out to intimidate the next person to walk by; it was me.

"Come on man! Got some money? We're trying to get some food," the ringleader moaned.

"Fuck off. I already know that's a lie." Zangoose cut me off and started growling.

"You know you want to," a girl behind me urged.

"Nope. Magnemite shut them up," I sighed.

Zangoose's owner came to the forefront. "Crush Claw!" he confidently screamed.

"Looks like someone didn't pay attention in school. Mirror Shot!" Magnemite's reaction time was faster than before; the hit landed before Zangoose got close enough.

"Use Revenge!"

Shit… another fighting type move. "Float away and use Metal Sound!"

It was an easy maneuver to pull off to everyone else's annoyance. The best part was that my partner treated this potentially dangerous situation like play time. As long as it kept landing hits, I didn't care how it acted.

"Jump up and use Crush Claw!" Without the distraction of sound, Zangoose slashed away in the air before falling back to the ground. "Boost up with Hone Claws!"

"Ram into it with Spark!"

"Run around! Try to strike back with Revenge when you're done!"

The two chased each other in circles trying to land a big hit before the other one. Magnemite got rid of the electricity in favor of Mirror Shot. Smaller blasts failed to hit Zangoose so it used an attack where steel balls followed the normal type until they collided with it. It wasn't as strong as I had thought, but dodging wasn't an option anymore.

"Spark!" It wasted no time zapping my opponent's Pokémon unconscious. "New plan! You don't follow me and nobody gets hurt. We cool?" I yelled with my arms outstretched and a smile on my face.

"Damn," the girl mumbled. "Man, fuck you!" she yelled while everyone took off in the other direction.

"That's what I thought!"

I don't know if they got away with some money or what they said beforehand. Frankly, I was surprised nobody battled them beforehand unless everybody they bothered was drunk. If they ganged up on me, then I would've considered attacking them. Handling multiple Pokémon from one person is manageable, but when multiple Pokémon from multiple people are out, it's easier to go for the trainers. Sympathy in street fights? Only if someone was confident they would be able to handle the situation if it turned sour.

Nobody was up when I got back so I went straight to my bedroom. My new job offer sounded too good to turn down and I couldn't stop thinking about it. The main thing to worry about would be how I would get paid. I would make money for them and then what? Would I get a cut of the profits? Could I make it on my own after my suspension was up? If I went tomorrow, I would have a better understanding of how it was going to work. Nobody would have to know until I made my decision.

* * *

A building with a fresh coat of royal blue stood out among the boarded-up ones on the north side of the city. Pokémon Services had modest curb appeal with its glass windows showing off the waiting room to anyone walking by. The back half of the building was much bigger so I assumed that's where they did surgeries or rehabilitation. A receptionist was typing away as I walked in.

"Sir, we're only seeing a select few people at this time. You're going to have to wait a little bit before the public can schedule an appointment."

I pulled out the card. "I think this counts as an appointment."

Her eyes went wide and she immediately got up. "Right this way. He should be in his office." The door was open but he was on the phone so she closed it and made me sit with her.

"How's the S.S. Libra doing? Will it be able to sail sometime this week?" I couldn't hear the other person from outside the office, but I heard Mister V's fist slam the table. "Then what are you waiting for!? Load the cargo and get over to Slateport City! We're opening up to the public soon!"

I felt awkward so I tried to make small talk. "Busy man I take it?"

"Absolutely. The hardest part is getting the equipment here," the receptionist sighed. "Once we get everything here, we'll start expanding our customer base." He continued to ask questions until he slammed down the phone in frustration.

"Idiots! All of them! I should've done it myself," he said while rubbing his forehead. "I don't have any appointments either!"

"Sir, a young man presented your card," she responded while going into his office.

"Oh! Bring him in!" The man's attitude changed faster than anyone I've seen.

"You sure you don't want me to come back tomorrow? I got my second job by bothering the boss on his day off but that was a different case."

He started to reorganize his desk. "Not a problem. What can I do for you?"

"I'll take the job if you tell me how I'll get paid. No offense, but I can battle for money any time I want. I can take my time to get stronger too. I want to be a trainer at the end of the day."

"Then why come to me now? Wouldn't you like more time to decide?"

I leaned forward. "I'm not letting this opportunity go to waste by sitting on it." He took out some papers and started to circle a few areas.

"You're going to be on commission."

Keeping a straight face was hard to do with a whirlwind of thoughts. Mom started out with a higher commission rate and hourly wage; she jumped on the chance to have a higher overall salary and lower commission rate. She's seen both sides of the coin and preferred the steady income.

"What's the percentage? What about a salary option and lower rate?"

"No salary option," he bluntly stated. "Your rate will be 20% on everything you bring in with some perks. If you choose to give the company more than 80% of any money earned, it will be noted and you may be rewarded."

My jaw nearly dropped at the offer. Mom wouldn't even sniff that even if she worked at Rydel's for the rest of her life. Game corner payouts weren't going to be cheap and there was no way to track how much I would bring in from the underground scene. There was still a missing piece of the puzzle.

"Define perks."

"Let me ask you a question: do you have any formal attire?"

I put my head down. "Not a lot. Just a few dress shirts and ties. I think I outgrew my suit; I haven't had to wear it in years."

"That will have to change," he said while tapping the desk. "Assuming you want the job, I'll give you 3,000P to get some new clothes for when you go to battling events at the game corner. You'll be taken more seriously by everyone watching. What you wear on the streets is your business. Consider that your first perk with the potential for more."

I was pretty much sold with that line. If he was willing to do all of that for me, there was something he obviously saw in me. Or it could've been the fact that this man was so rich that 3,000P means nothing. Pressure would be constantly placed on me, but I knew I could handle it.

"Where do I sign?"

"Right here on the last page."

I looked over the paperwork in great detail and everything was straightforward. I would be given a personal bank account to use for anything related to Pokémon Services so I wouldn't have to rely solely on coming in to hand off money. The part that worried me the most was that I could lose everything they were willing to give me if I was fired. All company Pokémon were considered rentals although I could buy them for an outrageous price if I loved them that much; not bonding with them would be tough. Anything I caught on my own time was mine. When I got the details through my head, signing my name never felt so good.

"Done. Now what?"

"Let me show you around the facility. I'd like to do at least one productive thing today."

My new boss intended on showing me every square inch of the facility. We went back to the reception area before going through a set of double doors. We were immediately met with a hallway with three large operating rooms that were fully furnished with a fourth one missing most of its equipment. The main hallway split into three more at the end.

Going left took us to the long-term care area. A dozen hospital rooms lined the hallway and all of them had only a bed and a basic medical kit. Vending machines were near another door which led to a small café that guests could order food from. We doubled back to the fork and went down the right hallway.

There were a dozen rehabilitation rooms with each one having different tools for Pokémon to help get their strength back. Dumbbells, resistance bands, yoga balls, and massage tables were haphazardly placed since most of the equipment was still overseas. He explained that the right side was going to be crowded as soon as they would take same day appointments for quick testing. I couldn't hold my thoughts in anymore.

"Not to be rude, but how much did all of this cost? My sister wants to study meteorology and their equipment isn't cheap either. I can't imagine everything here when it gets filled up." His sunglasses prevented me from reading his facial expression until he cracked a small smile.

"A lot. My father made some good investments when he was younger, my brother won prize fights at Realgam Tower, and I scoured the world for clients that would come to do business in Orre. It was a rough start until everything came together at once."

"Does your dad or brother help run this place too?" I asked out of instinct.

His smile quickly turned into a scowl. "They have gone their separate ways. I intend to keep the family business alive. Once everything is set up, the company will turn a profit. Now let me show you the final area," he said while walking back to the fork. "This is where most of the work is done. Welcome to the dome." He opened the door then turned on half of the lights.

Four regulation battlefields were separated by fencing in one corner, an obstacle course sat opposite it, an empty storage room was tucked away to the far right, and the rest of the area was open for personalized training. This was far from an average rehabilitation center.

"How many Pokémon can train in here at once?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hopefully we never have to find out. As much as I want to rehabilitate Pokémon, seeing a lot in here would be unsettling. All that matters is that we have the resources to get Pokémon back to fighting shape. Unfortunately, you're going to be in the field more than back here."

"Can I stop by on my own time?"

"I don't see why not. Now let's go to my office and show you a list of potential partners."

Mister V's Pokémon probably had nothing on Birch's starter Pokémon. Although they came with strings attached, they would help me in a tough legal battling environment. I took a few deep breaths realizing that this wasn't about schoolyard dominance or grades; a lot was on the line.

"These are the six Pokémon I trust you with for a battle. Game corner battles are three on three so your lineup may change," he said bluntly while handing me his own list. No moves were listed to save space but I figured they would be useful.

"Okay, let's see who we have here: Swellow, Lairon, Swalot, Camerupt, Manectric, Roserade, Wailmer," I read off with no emotion.

I stared at the sheet in disbelief. Where was Blaziken or Metagross? And Wailmer as the water option? What was he thinking!? Manectric was arguably the best out of the group but everyone else was trash… at least on paper. With a little training or a few TM discs, my Linoone could win against all of them.

"What do you think?"

"I'd like to see the moves on these things. I don't have a Pokédex to help me out."

"You'll get more information before any scheduled event. Until I can fully trust you with them, they are to remain here at the facility."

Years of dealing with people being wary of me paid off because I kept a stone face. But really? He was going to keep me in the dark for that long? There wasn't much I could do aside from using my own Pokémon; no way would I win a single round against someone willing to put up a lot of money for a large legal payout.

"Whatever works. Before I forget, Magnemite used an attack last night that had little balls following a Zangoose. What's that attack called?"

He rubbed his chin. "I honestly don't know. I can look it up later." I sensed some frustration within him.

"Look, I can battle once I get past the learning curve with moves. A Pokédex goes a long way."

"Oh, I know the feeling. As for our Pokémon, they recognize this," he noted while pulling out a neon orange card on a lanyard. "My company has trained these Pokémon to listen to anyone holding this badge; it's so that anyone can use these to spar with recovering Pokémon."

"Cool! Now what?"

"Keep training your Pokémon too in case you need them. There isn't much for you to do with us until the game corner opens. If you need to stop by until then, use the badge up front and someone will be able to answer your questions. When we really get the ball rolling, I won't be here that much so keep that in mind. Any questions?"

"One, actually. Could I tell organizers to deposit the money directly into my professional account? I'm not sure if they would pay me right after the battle or send a check there. I used to work as a janitor in an accounting firm; I've heard stories of how money goes missing in this city."

"Trust your gut," Mister V quickly replied. "As long as the money comes in from legal battles, you're free to battle anywhere else. Don't let underground battling get in the way of your main job."

I stood up. "That's it for me. I'll register when the time comes. Thanks for the job!"

"Excellent!" I was escorted to the front and was given copies of my paperwork by the receptionist.

The afternoon walk home felt different compared to any day at the gym or my janitorial job. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was in total control of my situation. No school to hold me back, no league rules to follow, company rules were lax, I could bring in as much money as I wanted, I could work on own time for the most part, and I didn't need to be an official trainer to do anything.

Dad was shuffling around upstairs when I sat down on the couch. I held a huge grin with a brochure in one hand after I hid the paperwork underneath the cushions. He came down in his pajamas and stared at me.

"You have fun last night?" he asked with fake curiosity.

"I got home a little late but the bars were still open. It was worth it."

"Please tell me you didn't get in trouble and run away," dad said while tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"The opposite. I got another job."

His head shot forward. "You what!?" I flashed the brochure and he took it. "Pokémon Services, huh? Never heard of them."

I stood up. "They're not open to the public yet. Look for a huge royal blue building on the north side next time you're in that part of town. Very hard to miss for anyone unless they're in a rush." Dad looked over the pictures a second time.

"Medical care? Rehabilitation? You never showed an interest in those things. Ryan, what are you doing for them?"

"Fundraising. I'm a part of a team to bring in money. Sales calls, fundraising, stuff like that," I replied as firmly as possible. Any doubt in my voice was bound to cause problems.

"You said sales. I assume you're on commission?"

"They want me so much that they're willing to give me a 20% rate when I start."

Dad folded his arms and shook his head with a smile. "Lie to your mother. I don't even care if it's true or not, that's crazy. You can tell everyone when they get home. I need some breakfast."

While he was in the kitchen, I took the opportunity to hide any paperwork in my room that stated explicit details about how I would get money; same for my badge. Playing dumb was reasonable since I didn't have any answers except for the ones that I didn't want to give away. I'd do my job, but taking an interest in Pokémon medicine during my down time could help me as a trainer.

My siblings arrived home later than usual while mom got home at her normal time. It felt different being so relaxed with so much ahead of me but I knew that feeling would wear off eventually. Dinner was nothing special with Lucas going over his regimen, Sadie getting her usual praise from her internship, mom telling us that her day was easier than normal, and dad's story of getting a Zigzagoon pack off the road.

"Do anything special today, Ryan? I knew you were upset about everything last night."

"Well, I went to New Mauville to blow off some steam and a few things happened." Dad put his hand over his mouth to hide a smile while mom leaned in. "I got a new Pokémon. Meet Magnemite!"

The newest member of my team floated around mindlessly until it gravitated to Electrike. They hit it off like lost siblings looking to catch up as everyone studied it. Magnemite came back to the table and formally introduced itself while sitting on top of my head.

"Oh… it's a friendly Pokémon by the looks of it," mom said still unsure of how to judge it. Sadie and Lucas were understandably afraid since they didn't know anything about it; dad was intrigued.

"Yeah, it's a little quirky but it's a cool Pokémon. I'm going to leave it out so it can explore the house. But there's more." I showed her the pamphlet. "Job number three right there."

Pokémon Services did a good job of laying everything out for perspective customers. Their colorful visuals and professionally formatted brochure meant they would have a good first impression as an independent business. Mom and pop shops relied on word of mouth while corporations paid millions for an effective marketing plan. Any independent business that wasn't family owned had a tougher road getting its name out to the public.

"Sounds like they're going to do fine based on what I've read," mom said while nodding. "What's your job?"

"Sales and some fundraising. My commission rate is 10% for now," I responded after I figured out how much I wanted to skew the rate. She had a concerned look on her face.

"You're going to get paid based off performance, honey. That's it. Are you sure you can handle that? You could be making less money than at your old jobs if you have a bad week or two."

I kept a straight face. "They liked me enough to hire me even though I have no sales experience. All I need are the tools to succeed and it'll be on me from there."

Lucas playfully tapped the table to get my attention. "You can't be serious all the time when you're talking to people. Even the most serious athletes have a fun side," he noted while smiling.

"They'll train me in customer service if I need it. I have some time to adjust since they're not open yet. Besides, I can train my team there in my spare time if I make an appointment."

Wrecking their fields for my personal gain probably wasn't going to happen but anything to keep them distracted would help. Maybe I could actually stop in and help Pokémon through the last stages of their rehabilitation. All I had to do was show up, win money, keep my ego under control, and not assault my coworkers. I could tell Sadie had mixed feelings about how everything that happened over the past two days. When dad left for work and mom went upstairs to watch her show, she sat me down on the couch.

"Ryan, please tell me you're doing this on your own," she whispered even though Lucas was relaxing in the backyard. "If you took this job because you need money, maybe I can find something at the Weather Institute for you." I took a deep breath.

"Sadie, relax for me. You don't owe me anything, okay? Even the most successful people don't coast through life. Besides, I'm good at thinking on my feet. I'll be fine." She sighed and threw herself against the back of the couch.

"Guess you're right." Magnemite floated over and rested on my head. "Something's up with that Magnemite but I can't explain it."

It wiggled its magnets and happily cried out. "My best guess is that wants to get the battle over with just so it could go back to relaxing or playing. Seriously, it even attacked on its own a few times. Still, it listens to me when it counts and is willing to battle. All I know is that it's happy to be a part of the family."

Lucas came in when Electrike wanted water and decided to stay in for the rest of the night. We sat around watching reruns of Hoenn League battles from a few years ago. Sadie was the first one to go to bed while Lucas struggled to stay awake. He eventually threw in the towel leaving me and Magnemite watching a quarterfinal battle. I called out Linoone so he could watch.

"We'll find a way to get there. I don't have a plan, I don't know how long it will take, but we're going to battle on the biggest stage with the spotlight on us," I mumbled while staring at the television. "We're going to grab that opportunity by the throat and hold on as long as we can." Linoone climbed up the couch to sit in my lap so I rubbed his head.

"I wonder how much work we'll have to do to stand a chance. All I know is that if we lose, we're going down fighting… right?" He rolled over and waited for a belly rub; I gave it to him. "You know all about being scrappy, buddy. Magnemite gets it too even though it's been with us for only a day. Now I just need four more Pokémon along for the ride."

My eyes started to get heavy so I decided to call it a night. With everything set for the near future, my mind was more relaxed than ever before. Tomorrow would be my first official day as a Pokémon Services employee. Although I wasn't required to work, I wanted to get a head start on making some money. The regular back alley battlers probably wouldn't expect too much from me.

They would be wrong.


	5. Learning Curves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

Sleeping through the night was easier knowing I had some kind of plan to get started on my journey. I slept in until noon; Linoone woke me up by dragging his food bowl into my room. If it weren't for him, I could've slept all day. Magnemite happily sat by an electrical outlet as I watched Linoone eat.

"Did you put your magnet in the socket?" It showed me how it "ate" its breakfast. "Oh boy… not sure if you can eat here for long periods of time. Maybe frequent 'snacks' will be better for you at home. You can go to town at a Pokémon Center." Magnemite patiently waited for its partner to finish and for me to get ready.

My main goal was to win some street battles. My Pokémon would see it as a typical training day if I went back to New Mauville. Getting a head start for my job would give us battling experience at the minimum. Dropping some money off would put me in good standing before Pokémon Services opened their office in Hoenn. First, a shopping trip was in order. I had 3,000P to spend plus some of my own money in case I got too excited. I wanted nothing left in my pocket if possible and bags full of new clothes.

Clothing stores weren't that hard to find once I found the food court area. Each one catered to a niche market with souvenir shops, beachwear, workout gear, hiking gear, clothes for everyday wear, and formal attire with some overlap between stores. Despite all the fancy patterns and imported designer brands, I went with the cheapest dress shirts I could find. Carrying a dozen of them along with a few ties was a mess, but I wanted to make sure I had them avaible to buy. When I was looking at the suits near the entrance, a hand came down hard on my shoulder.

"Can I help you?" a burly man asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Uh, yeah. Got anything in my size?" I casually responded.

He moved his head closer. "Why don't you put all of those back first?" I knew something was off, but I played dumb.

"Nah, I'm good holding all of this. Now what suit do you recommend?" He jerked his head to the counter and the cashier came over since the story was empty.

"You're going to have to pay for all of this first," the cashier sighed. "Or you can drop them and leave right now. Your choice." I laughed in his face.

"Who treats customers like that?" I rhetorically asked while reaching in my pocket. "How about I hold onto everything without paying? If it'll calm you down, here's my spending money. This wad is 3,000P." Both employees looked it over as if it was fake.

"Looks like it's real. Would you like to see our tailor in the back? She'll be willing to take your measurements," the burly man noted. The sudden change in tone surprised me, but I was still upset.

"At least she won't judge me based on what I'm wearing or my age. If I wanted to steal something, I wouldn't steal from here; I'd steal stuff that I'd want to wear or use all the time," I ranted before walking to the back of the store.

A woman that looked like she was in her early thirties was sitting at her computer mindlessly clicking away. She looked up and took an interest in my choice of merchandise. I could hear her mumbling about combinations until she stood up to greet me.

"Sorry about those two. What can I do for you, young man?" she happily asked. I put my frustration aside and got straight to the point.

"I got a new sales job where I have to look sharp. Got a nice signing bonus to get some new clothes but I desperately need a suit. Maybe I'll get two if both are cheap enough; I have 3,000P or so to spend."

She got her measuring supplies. "Step up on this platform in front of these mirrors. This shouldn't take too long."

Her tape measure almost was placed against every inch of my body while she constantly mumbled numbers to herself. Even after writing them down, she measured me again for confirmation. Then she looked at what I picked up form earlier and sorted through it. Four ties and three shirts went into one pile while everything else was tossed aside. The woman then had me sit down at her desk while she went back to the front.

She came back with four suits and two vests after a few minutes. Each one was different but I assumed they would fit me. Before having me stand in front of the mirrors, she scribbled some notes down. It felt weird to be waited on for something other than food at a restaurant. I actually felt uncomfortable with the personalized attention since I was so used to doing a lot of things myself.

"Here's what I got for you," she said with a smile. "Two black suits, two navy blue suits, matching pants, matching belts, a pair of dress shoes, once plain black vest, and one plain navy blue vest. All of them are based on your measurements. Your shirts and ties in the pile will match what I have picked out for you."

"What about the other pile?"

"You can get those now if you want," she bluntly stated. "I'd come back when they're marked down by 33% or so. Fashion can be a fickle business just like sales. Those guys up front will mark things down when corporate tells them to; I would've cut the price by 20% at this point but I'm just a tailor."

"I know the feeling. Anyway, are the suits going to last a long time?" I asked while sheepishly scratching my neck.

"Quality suits like these should last forever if you take care of them. These also have enough Mareep wool woven in to keep you warm when the weather gets cold but not so much that you'll sweat just from wearing it."

"Cool! That sounds great! But why use Mareep wool instead of fleece?"

She tilted her head. "Because it's better? You know, Mareep like to stay somewhat dry when using their electric attacks? I know you're trying to save money, but this is worth the investment." I was even more confused.

"Never heard of a 'Mareep' before. Got a picture?" She found a picture and showed it to me. "Now that's fluffy."

"Yup. My supplier in Johto sends me the best. Now try everything on so you can get a feel for it."

Never before have I felt so classy. My favorite combination was a black suit, black vest, white shirt, and plain orange tie. The alternative was a blue suit, blue vest, white shirt with light blue stripes, and a solid black tie. I fiddled around with the other combinations, but told her I'd buy those first.

"Fits like a glove. Why do I feel like I could shell sells to people in Mossdeep?" I jokingly asked.

"I think you mean 'sell shells' to people? Looks like the suit is taking over your head," she laughed.

"Glad I messed up in here. So, how much am I looking at for my two combinations?"

She tapped away at her keyboard before turning the screen. "For everything you want, it'll be 2,700P. Let me throw in a manufacture's coupon code here… done! Your total will be 2,295."

"I didn't bring a coupon."

"Yes, you did," she said with a smile. "You knew that you needed to save money for your first job and brought a coupon. Wait here for a second." Oh… she's good.

All that left a dent in my signing bonus but I didn't care; I finally looked like an employee. If I told people I lived in a southwest city beachfront home, they'd believe me. Best of all, people in general would take me seriously no matter where I went if I just wore the shirt and pants. The tailor came back with two long suit bags with hangers and a plastic bag.

"Hang your suit up like normal but drape your pants over the plastic tube running from one side of the hanger to the other. You can put everything else in the small bag," the tailor noted while handing me my receipt.

I shook her hand. "Thanks for the help. I'll probably be back when some things in the other pile go on sale."

"Good luck at your new job, dear!" she yelled as I made my way back to the entrance.

Before I left, I showed my stuff to the guys at the counter and gave them the middle finger. It wasn't a half-assed one either. I stared them down with a stone face and then calmly walked out; the tailor was covering her mouth trying not to laugh.

A pit stop at home was needed so I could drop off my new clothing and most of my own excess money; I figured keeping the leftover signing bonus money wasn't a big deal since I'd need to pay for a ferry ticket to New Mauville. Keeping an additional 1,500P on top of that meant I had some wiggle room. After I packed some healing items, I jogged down to the docks by Cycling Road.

Vinny was waiting patiently for tourists to board the ferry until he noticed me. He shot me a look before getting our group safely over to New Mauville. As passengers came and went, I met him by the stern.

"Ryan, security said that nobody was on the island last night when it closed. How did you get back? Did you ride a Pokémon on the way back or what?" Vinny asked with his arms folded.

"Someone offered to take me back. We talked a bit and decided to explore the underground part. When we wanted to leave, we left," I calmly replied. He put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"People are free to come and go how they want, but I knew you'd have to take the ferry back." I looked away and then he sat down. "There's no way I could just ignore that, Ryan. I've known you for too long. You're safe, so I can't really get too upset. Have fun today!"

The facility was more crowded than usual so I opted to explore the island itself. Aside from a miniature forest on the west side, there was a small secluded beach area that faced the city. Wingull was the only Pokémon that could be found in the forest while the beach offered some variety.

A few people watched two trainers duke it out as I reached the end of the trail. Surprisingly, it was a double battle with a girl in her mid-teens using Loudred and Tentacruel versus an older boy with Lombre and Shuppet. The two had their Pokémon start on land before their water types jumped in the ocean to battle on their own. Lombre stood no chance against Tentacruel's Poison Jab and fainted without much of a fight.

"I'll work on your Loudred first before I take care of the other nuisance," the boy said with some bravado. "Shuppet, use Will-O-Wisp on Loudred!" Balls of purple fire made their way over, but the girl didn't look too concerned.

"You can dodge that, Loudred!" she yelled, encouraging her partner. With so much open space, it easily evaded the attack. "Tentacruel, put the wisps out! Loudred, use stomp!"

The younger spectators tried to hide their laughter while Loudred ran closer to Shuppet wondering how dumb the girl could be. Only a few older ones had a smirk on their face waiting for the attack to land. Loudred jumped when it was close enough and slammed Shuppet into the sand with its foot; it didn't get up.

The boy's jaw dropped. "Impossible!"

"Scrappy keeps people like you honest," she responded while recalling her partners. "Give me my money, please!"

Everyone got a little closer to him in case he decided to run although it wasn't necessary. Some people thought about challenging her but decided against it. I let her heal the team and recall them before coming onto the beach getting her attention.

"Not bad… for a little girl," I teased. "Want a chance to win more money?"

She shot me a scowl. "Who are you calling 'little'? And 'not bad' is an understatement; I have Mauville's badge."

"Then you should have no problem winning 1,000P from a guy who has no badges," I noted while pulling out the cash. "How about a battle to see how good you really are?"

The group started to murmur at my offer. Some trainers battled for higher stakes, but I knew 1,000P to a teenage girl was a lot. She threw me a curveball by pulling out more money.

"Raise you to 2,000. Put up or shut up."

"Deal," I replied immediately. We took our places on the beach with the crowd getting into it. "What are the rules?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Double battle, two against two only. Both Pokémon have to be knocked out. Fair enough? Oh, and someone will hold the money while we battle. I don't trust you."

"We release our Pokémon at the same time too," I added.

"Fine by me."

Money was handed over to a trainer with only a Gulpin so if they ran away, one of us would be able to get the money back. The oldest person watching volunteered to be the referee since there was a lot on the line. At the referee's signal, we released our Pokémon.

Having only two Pokémon made my options extremely limited but I hid a smile when she sent out her team. Loudred was understandable since she most likely bred it, but she had Tentacruel make a second appearance. She either forgot that I watched her last battle or she didn't care that I did; Magnemite didn't seem like a concern to her.

"How cute! A tiny electric Pokémon and a house pet!" she mocked. "I'll make this quick. Loudred, use Stomp on Linoone! Tentacruel, Bubble Beam on Magnemite!"

"Don't count us out so soon. Linoone, Sand Attack! Fire as much as you can! Magnemite, Mirror Shot to defend yourself!"

Once they started to move from their starting spots, the battlefield seemed endless. Loudred couldn't dodge all the sand Linoone was digging up and its attack missed horribly. Magneite's Mirror Shot held up against Bubble Beam until it was overpowered; Magnemite took a small hit.

"Keep up the pressure! Linoone, Pin Missile on Loudred! Magnemite, use Metal Sound on Tentacruel!" Four rounds of needles hit Loudred while it was stuck between wiping its eyes out and trying to defend itself; Metal Sound had Tentacruel covering its ears. A secondary effect was that the jellyfish Pokémon moved away from it partner.

"Disarming Voice! You'll still hit Linoone!" she called out to Loudred. "And Tentacruel, use Bubble Beam on Linoone too! Be patient!" Scrappy for an ability, Disarming Voice for an attack, yup… she's either a breeder or knows one.

A weak visible soundwave flew across the field to knock my partner back into Tentacruel's line of fire. It fired away while Linoone tried to retaliate with Pin Missile.

"Quick, Magnemite! Use Spark to help Linoone!" It covered itself in electricity before rushing into the jellyfish Pokémon. "Go after Loudred too! Linoone, Sand Attack on Tentacruel!"

"Counter with Acid Spray!" A small stream of black sludge met the sand. "Now try Wrap attack! Loudred, keep Magnemite busy with Uproar!" Got her.

"Magnemite, shove Linoone out of the way and use Spark!" It ended up grabbing my smaller partner and got a nice shock before letting go.

"Let go and hide in the water!" the girl ordered.

Linoone ended up taking Loudred's attack three separate times and was exhausted. I hadn't pushed the limits of either of my partners too far until now. Everything was finally set in place.

I pointed to the ocean. "Magnemite, look that way and don't move! If it comes up, keep it at bay with Mirror Shot, Metal Sound, or your other attack. Linoone, use Sand Attack again! I need you to push through it!"

"Jump up and use Stomp!" she said before turning to the water. "Come up and use Bubble Beam!"

Magnemite opted for Metal Sound even though it took another hit. It even counterattacked with the attack that follows the opponent until it hits. With that going on in the corner of my eye, I refocused back to Linoone digging up a storm. Her normal type Pokémon was finally blinded.

"Get behind it and use Headbutt!"

"Disarming Voice!" The attack didn't come since it was too busy trying to get the sand out of its eyes. A direct hit in its back drew some gasps from the crowd as it was sent closer to the ocean. "Rub the sand out and then use Uproar! Hurry up!"

"Pin Missile!" I quickly screamed.

Only two rounds of needles came out of my partner's mouth before he collapsed, but the deed was done. They had forced Loudred into the water and I knew the battle was over. She figured out my plan as I turned back to Magnemite. The look on her face was priceless.

"Spark!" I ordered with a huge smile on my face. Electricity flowed through the water causing both of her Pokémon to be continually shocked until they fainted.

"Tentacruel, Loudred, and Linoone are unable to battle. Magnemite and its trainer are the winner!" I immediately waved the money handler over so he could give me my winnings.

A few trainers had their hands by their belt itching to go. Suddenly, I wasn't feeling as confident as before. This wasn't as bad as other areas, but anywhere out of the public eye with a big crowd could lead to more trouble. Having only two Pokémon for a full day of battling suddenly wasn't looking like a good idea.

"Pass. Have a good one," I replied. Linoone, return!"

"Oh! So you're going to pull that crap and just leave!?" my opponent yelled.

"Uh, yeah. I don't have to stay. I don't care that I'm chickening out."

The referee walked between us. "Well, I can't blame him. Even though he won, it could've been done sooner. Zapping Tentacruel the moment it went into the water should have been the plan." He turned to me. "Once you get past the preliminary battles, the qualifying rounds in Ever Grande City are double battles; you need three wins to move to the round of 32. Going for two knockouts with one attack is how most people get eliminated."

"I won today; that's all that matters," I said while shrugging my shoulders.

"Hey man, just wanted to offer advice," he replied while showing me four badges. The crowd let me leave the beach without a problem.

Exploring the rest of the island aside from the facility was a nice change of pace after I healed my team. An occasional tourist asked if I wanted to battle but I politely turned them down. Although the beach had a nice view of the Mauville skyline, the eastern cliffs offered nothing to look at except the ocean and the sky.

"Great battling earlier," I started while scratching Linoone's chin. "We've never won a battle where it was that close. Heck, I think that was our first double battle. Maybe we should stick to single battles; keeping track of four Pokémon on the field at once isn't my strong suit." We sat in place for a half hour just enjoying the scenery and relaxing before taking the ferry back. I technically wasn't on the clock so I figured being lazy at home would be good.

I stopped home to grab the company bank account information so I could deposit my winnings before going to the bank. The teller must have been unaware that Pokémon Services had an account even though they weren't open; security didn't care until I showed them the paperwork. Once the company account was accessed, I threw in all 2,000P and opened my own personal account to deposit the leftover money from my shopping spree.

Battling in out-of-the-way areas was going to be more of an adventure than ever. The act of going to the bank for myself or the company meant that I was opening myself up to more exposure. Normally, I could battle, get my money, and just hide out until things calmed down. Getting Pokémon Services to trust me to carry their Pokémon outside of work would make things much easier. Overall, not bad for a first day. All that was left was to wait for the game corner to open.

* * *

One flyer for the grand opening of Lostelle's Game Corner caused mass hysteria in the city a week a few days later. Many people rejoiced that Mauville was going back to its roots while others begged construction workers not to finish. Despite the commotion, it opened at 9:00am sharp a week later without any major issues.

The line for the battle tournament had grown to a block long within an hour so security had to start turning people away. I was comfortably in line although it took an hour to put my name on the list in the lobby. Battles were to start immediately and go until there was a winner. Everyone was given a number based on their spot in line and a time to show up to a waiting area; I had number 74 and was scheduled to battle around 1:30pm. Everyone was told it was a single elimination, three on three single battle format with substitutions. The prize was 250,000P cash for first place.

With some time to kill, I went to Pokémon Services. The waiting room was packed with other employees wearing their badges so I stood in the corner. I couldn't help but notice some people had the same color as me while others had special markings on theirs. I assumed that different colors meant different departments, but a few trainers had different colors. Mister V's receptionist eventually pointed me to his office.

"Welcome! I think we know why you're here. Care to show me your card?" he quickly asked.

"Number 74. Looks like I'm somewhere in the middle of the field," I said while pulling it out. "I haven't really been battling in the streets like I said I would so I'm sorry about that."

He pulled out six pieces of paper. "I'm sorry to rush you, but I'm very busy today so I don't have time for small talk. If you're in, that's all I care about. Go to the training area to pick out your three Pokémon after you look over the information sheets. I'll be at the game corner later today so I might see you there. Also, change into something nice before the battle or you're fired." I went outside to look over my options.

I sighed at my choices before picking my three. Manectric was my top choice when I first heard about it and I was wrong for thinking how weak it was. Static for the ability with Rain Dance, Thunder, Hidden Power, and Volt Switch, it was going to cause a lot of problems for other trainers. A Petaya Betty was the hold item which made its special attacks even deadlier after it took a few hits. My issue was that I didn't know what type Hidden Power was but it's not like I was going to keep Manectric in on ground types.

Swellow's sheet was even more interesting to look at. Brave Bird, Quick Attack, Protect, and Façade was a decent set of moves until I looked at the bottom of the page. Guts for its ability and it would be holding a Flame Orb. Holy shit… these people are insane! This thing is a textbook definition of a glass cannon. With two Pokémon dedicated to offense, I needed one with some bulk.

Lairon was my third choice due to its great defense and ability. Rock Head was a great ability with it having Double Edge as an attack. With Iron Head and Rock Slide for potential flinching and Iron Tail for lowering defenses, it could also hit hard. Although not knowing Hidden Power's type was bad, Lairon was holding an Everstone. An Everstone!? That had to be a misprint. Regardless, I'd see them before the fight. The training area had trays of Poké Balls near two staff members.

"Can you find these three Pokémon for me?" I asked while handing over the info sheets.

"Yeah! Give us a second," a woman replied before looking for the right ones. "All set! Remember, have that badge showing so that they'll feel comfortable around you. Anything else?"

"Got a pen and paper? I'd like to write down their attacks since I don't have a Pokédex and I'm probably going to forget." She shrugged her shoulders and gave me the moves. "Also, is there a reason Lairon has an Everstone? It's useless in battle."

She had a confused look on her face. "I don't know. We're not allowed to just swap items; there's a reason why the Pokémon are holding them. You would have to ask a manager for a change."

"Pathetic," I muttered under my breath before leaving for home. "Have a good day!"

Picking out my clothes for the battle reminded me of the first day of school. The whole "new year, new me" feeling apparently extended to adulthood. I went with my number one combination of white shirt, orange tie, and black of everything else. Before I left, I figured I would call everyone out in the backyard.

Linoone was the mediator for everyone although they weren't overly excited to see me. Seeing as I wasn't really their original trainer, I wasn't surprised. He probably told them how I was as a trainer and what to expect. Swellow and Manectric seemed indifferent to the situation but Lairon wanted no part of the conversation. It turned its head away and grunted like it was annoyed every chance it got. I couldn't believe it… they gave me a Pokémon that didn't look like it was going to obey me even though I had the company badge.

"Are you okay, Lairon? What's wrong?" It turned its body around completely so I walked around it to see its face. "Nervous for the battle? It's okay, buddy. You have me and four other Pokémon backing you up." It turned around again and stared at the sky to avoid making eye contact with anyone. "Well, forcing you to battle when you don't trust me isn't the way to go; I'll figure something out. We should get going to Lostelle's."

The place was big on the outside, but it looked like it was endless on inside. After I got past the lobby, it was a sea of slot machines, gaming tables, roulette tables, and televisions. Sensory overload was an understatement and I had to cover my ears before adapting to the surroundings; the battle dome was away from the action through a set of doors.

Only one field was in the center surrounded by a clear barrier for extra protection. The listed capacity was 1,000 people so it was an intimate setting compared to any formal field. Every seat was filled in so I made my way to the standing room only area to catch a glimpse of the action. When I had enough, I found an usher.

"Excuse me, how do I get down there for my battle? I'm not scheduled to battle for an hour or so," I asked.

"Have your card?" I flashed it to him. "Go back to the lobby and someone will take you to where you need to go. Best of luck."

A security guard escorted me back to the lobby and then through a door down a long hallway. It was essentially a green room where some of the participants were lounging around watching the battle on a big television. Most of them were in standard trainer clothing with a few people dressed up like me so I think my boss was overreacting about the attire situation. I waited it out until a stage manager came through the door to the field.

"Number 74 and number 86, let's go!"

My opponent stood up and slowly walked to the door. "Shouldn't I be battling number 85 or 87?" he calmly asked.

"We randomized the opening round matchups to prevent some early scouting in line. Now let's get going. You're in the red corner. Number 74 is in the blue corner." I followed behind ready to go; the announcer was already hyping up the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our next two participants. In the blue corner, please welcome Ryan from Mauville City right here in Hoenn!" I wasn't ready for the roaring applause and sheepishly waved to the crowd. "In the red corner, please welcome Aidan from Shalour City in Kalos!"

Now it was my turn to be nervous. My opponent, the crowd, the pressure to bring home the prize money, and using Pokémon that weren't mine all for one battle almost made me puke. I saw the referee step forward so I turned my attention to him.

"Okay gentlemen, listen up," the referee started. "Three versus three with subs. The winner must knock out all three of the opposing trainer's Pokémon. Here we go!"

I had a plan to get myself into a grove. "Go Linoone!" With Lairon unwilling to cooperate and Magnemite outclassed by Manectric, it was a good starting choice.

"Perfect. Go Aegislash!" he confidently yelled.

The referee threw the flags up. "Go!"

"Linoone, use Sand Attack!" It wasted no time kicking sand around to gain an early edge.

"Horrible mistake! Swords Dance!" A precise set of movements gave it some extra power. "Iron Head!"

"Pin Missile! Slow it down!" I yelled back.

My partner fired as much as it could but it didn't slow it down enough as it kept charging. Luckily, the accuracy drop from earlier caused it to sway and eventually miss. Linoone circled behind it and I got what I wanted.

"Headbutt!" I ordered with a big smile.

I thought it was going to be a massive hit, but Linoone went right through it. Aiden flashed an evil grin and Aegislash was inches away from its target.

"Iron Head!" The move connected and Linoone flew across the field. The referee was about to call the round until it staggered to its feet.

"Hold strong and use Sand Attack!" More sand flew its way although Aiden didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"You're kidding, right? A prize of 250,000P on the line and you're pulling this pathetic excuse for a strategy? I'll make this quick. Aegislash, return!" The red beam brought it back to safety and Aiden immediately made his next choice. "Kangaskhan, here we go!"

"Linoone versus Kangaskhan. Go!"

"Time to mega evolve and then use Fake Out!" Aiden ordered.

A bright light surrounded his Pokémon and the baby in the pouch hopped out. The older one sprinted over to punch Linoone while the younger one stayed back; he was knocked out. Some people in the crowd laughed at the sequence of events and I was about to lose my cool.

"Linoone is unable to battle. Mega Kangaskhan wins!"

I recalled my partner and thought about my next move. "Nothing will survive a hit from my next choice. Go Swellow!"

"I think you're getting too cocky. Kangaskhan, get back! Go Aegislash!"

The flags went up. "Swellow versus Aegislash. Go!"

"Swellow, use Protect!" I ordered.

"Not a problem. Aegislash, Swords Dance!"

Flame Orb did its job as parts of Swellow started to become engulfed in flames. It winced before shaking its head to shrug off the pain; it looked like it had been through it before. Aegislash got its boost, but I wanted the kill.

"Brave Bird!"

Aiden threw up his hand dismissively. "King's Shield." Swellow flew straight ahead and slammed Aegislash's barrier. It didn't look like the attack did anything and Swellow hunched over in pain. "Iron Head!" Again, with Swellow a short distance away, it was an easy knockout.

"Swellow in unable to battle. Aegislash is the winner!" the referee stated while the scoreboard dimmed Swellow's sprite.

Embarrassment was all I felt since I got outplayed that entire round. I figured one Brave Bird would've been enough to make it faint because of Swellow's massive attacking power, but my opponent was prepared. It also took too long to figure out Aegislash was a ghost and steel type which cost me Linoone.

"This is still an open battle. Go Manectric!" I yelled.

My opponent shook his head. "Nope, it's over. Aegislash, return! Go Mega Kangaskhan!"

"Manectric versus Mega Kangaskhan. Go!"

I only one plan to pull out a win. "Rain Dance!"

"Not so fast!" Aiden yelled. "Fake Out!"

The parent ran over and punched Manectric before it could summon the rain. To add insult to injury, the child did the same; guess its mega evolution allows it to attack twice. With that in mind, I couldn't risk taking another hit.

"Alright Manectric, use Thunder!" It fired a powerful stream of electricity that hit both parent and child for a huge hit.

"I should've done this earlier," I heard Aiden say to himself. "Earthquake!"

Both Pokémon on the other side repeatedly stomped to start the attack. The field shook for a few seconds before it started to collapse underneath Manectric. It fell into a crack, became engulfed by the field, and then another stomp caused the ground to push its unconscious body to the top for the referee to see.

"Manectric is unable to battle. Mega Kangaskhan wins! This battle goes to Aiden!"

Surprisingly, the crowd cheered for both of us. We met at midfield to share a quick handshake before being escorted back to the lounge. I thought there would be some gloating, but Aiden immediately left to get lunch. I sat down to gather myself before leaving to get food as well. The results would probably be on Lostelle's website so I couldn't hide my failure. An explanation was probably going to be needed and I had to tell him the truth. I froze when I reached the lobby.

My boss was standing there with his arms folded and a scowl on his face.


	6. Gambling Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

My heart sunk when I saw my boss standing still among the dozens of people shuffling through the lobby. He mentioned about stopping by, but I thought it would be much later based on how busy he was. His sunglasses prevented me from reading potential facial expressions as he waved for me to come over to a bench in the corner. I sat down while he rubbed his forehead.

"Okay… do you mind telling me what the hell happened in there?" he asked calmly. "I watched it live at work and knew I had to take a break."

For the first time in my life, I didn't even  _think_  about telling a lie or making an excuse. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to relax. He wasn't going to hear me stumbling over my words.

"My knowledge is limited to the Hoenn regional Pokédex only. Any Pokémon not between Treecko and Deoxys is one I don't know about. I didn't know Kangaskhan got a mega evolution because it's not in Hoenn's Pokédex. It may be in the national one, but I've never had access to a national dex in my life. School only taught me so much. I had no clue Aegislash was a ghost  _and_  steel type until it was too late." He let out a long sigh after digesting my explanation.

"Why didn't you tell me this? This place will continue to host tournaments so trainers from different regions will continue to show up. That can be a serious problem down the line."

"You didn't ask so I didn't think it was an issue," I quickly replied. "If you did, I would've told you. I never intended to deceive you," I added to take away from the idea that it was his fault for not doing his due diligence. A frown formed on his face but it faded away.

"Fair enough, but I saw something else in that battle." He tapped his head. "Forget not knowing your opponent's team. You lost your composure so easily. The mind is a terrible thing to waste." He was taking my defeat too well; I didn't want to beat around the bush anymore.

"Here are your Pokémon back. What happens going forward?" Mister V opted not to answer and instead, escorted me back to his office without a word. He pulled out a list with every employee name.

"Ryan, you are not the only employee battling for money. You see, there are six others like you except they are far more skilled. Honestly, I didn't expect you to win the prize money although I wish you lasted past the first round. You still have a lot to learn if you want to be a decent trainer." Hearing that hurt a lot more than I thought.

I looked at his computer screen. "The other six are still in the tournament, I presume?"

"Yes. Two of them battle later today. They are using their own Pokémon as well so I expect them to advance. In the meantime, I want you studying up on as much as you can."

"Absolutely. I'll start at the Pokémon Center later today; they might be able to help me somehow."

"Good. Another incident like today and I'll have to consider letting you go. I will give you the benefit of the doubt because it was your first assignment, you got a bad draw, you've never worked with our Pokémon before, and you're local. The other six are from different parts of Hoenn and they don't know the city like you do."

"Understood," I said as firmly as I could.

He motioned for me to stand up. "You remind me of my brother when he first started battling at Realgam Tower; eager to battle but not aware of the competition. He adapted and hopefully you can do it too. By the way, I saw a 2,000P deposit under your company account the day after I hired you but nothing since then. What happened?"

"Just a basic battle against another trainer in a public area. I wanted 1,000 but she doubled down and I beat her. I gave the company 100% of the profits. After that, I realized having only two Pokémon wasn't going to cut it so I haven't had a street battle since then," I replied.

"Well, I can't fault you for that. However, I still can't trust you with our Pokémon outside of formal events. Keep your eyes peeled for the next tournament. Not all of them have prizes this big so maybe less people will participate. I expect you to stop by again soon although I'm heading back to Orre when we open to make sure everything is taken care of over there. Have a good day." I walked out of Pokémon Services and sat on a bench to mull things over.

Could I really afford to complain about anything? Not talking about Lairon was probably for the best seeing as I was lucky that I still had a job despite a poor performance. He was more than reasonable about what happened. There was probably some grumbling going on behind the scenes but he seemed to let most of it out when talking to me. Besides, he had six other trainers to being in money while I was trying to adjust. That aside, I wanted to prove my worth so I went back to Lostelle's.

My target was not the battle area, but the casino floor instead. One side was dedicated to trainers where coins were favored over chip payouts. The coins could be used to purchase TM discs for Psychic, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Double Team. Collectable plush dolls were cheaper although very coveted by those looking to add to their collection. With a ratio of 50 coins for every 1,000P spent like the old days, it was pretty much a money pit. Slot machines, roulette tables, and a game called "Voltorb Flip" were the only games to play.

The other side was chip payouts that could be exchanged for cash and featured traditional table games. Blackjack, roulette, craps, and baccarat were featured alongside video poker machines and slots. There were poker tables tucked away and a door that led to an all-purpose event room at the far end. If I read everything, I would know how much I would be betting each time. Starting at an empty blackjack table was ideal since I knew enough about it and the wager range was only 200P to 1,000P per hand with only increments of 50 being acceptable.

"Welcome to the table! My name is Mary," a young woman exclaimed. "I know it's opening day, but are you familiar with the rules here?"

"No, but I know the concept of the game and card values."

"Not a problem. We use four decks at a time. Other basic rules here are a 1:1 payout on winning hands and 3:2 on blackjacks. You can split your cards if they have the same value, and I can't hit on 17 or any value higher. If we tie, you get your wager back. If you have any specific questions during the game, feel free to ask!"

"Alrighty then, let's go! I'll put down 200P," I replied.

She drew cards from a long plastic sleeve and handed me my two cards first. A ten of diamonds and a two of hearts in my first real hand of blackjack; fuck me. Mary had a seven of spades showing and another card face down.

"Hit or stay, sir?"

She could probably beat me without having to hit so I didn't have much of a choice. "Hit me." She flipped over a king of spades.

"Bust with a score 22."

"Motherfucker," I mumbled to myself. "Can I get 2,000P in chips? I'd like to play some more."

"Can do. What would you like to wager this hand?"

"Another 200P." My second hand looked more promising with a six of clubs and a five of clubs while she only had a three of hearts. "Hit." Mary gave me an eight of spades. "Stay."

"The score to beat is 19," she said while flipping over her second card; it was a four of diamonds. Mary took a card from the sleeve to get a jack of hearts. "Since I'm at 17, I have to stay. You win the hand. Here's your 200P wager back plus the 200P for winning."

"Now we're cooking," I said. "I'll stick with 200P for my next bet."

For the next hour, I kept betting the minimum. My pile of chips seemed to not move since I would go on a three-round winning streak only to follow it up with a three-round losing streak; I could never sustain a sizeable profit. Two people joined in which made things more interesting. I had a net profit of 400P and wanted to bet 500P on the next hand seeing as I was tired of winning a small amount. I got an interesting hand after placing the bet; two queens. I started to drag them apart but then pulled them close together.

"Would you like to split your cards?" Mary asked. "I can't deal until you make it clear."

"Yes," I immediately replied. She dealt me a king on the queen of spades. "Stay." She then dealt a jack of diamonds. "S-s-stay," I managed to get out. Two hands with a value of 20 was hard to beat.

"Damn, kid! Glad you're going against the dealer and not us," an older man noted as he fiddled with his chips.

"Scores to beat are 20, 20, 19, and 18," Mary droned. Her face up card was a nine of clubs and she flipped over a seven of hearts for a total of 16. She drew another seven of hearts for a final total of 23; busted. "You split your 500P hand into two 500P hands, so you'll be getting 1,000P back plus 1,000P worth of profit." The rush felt amazing. Without putting myself or my Pokémon in danger, I made a net profit of 1,400P.

"I want 1,000 on this next hand," I said while putting my chips on the table. Damn… I lost my composure again. The other players placed their bets and were dealt our hands. When I saw I had an ace of clubs and a ten of clubs, I slammed the table. "Blackjack!"

"Congratulations!" the other players said. However, Mary had an ace showing.

"Would you like insurance?" she calmly asked. Insurance? What?

"Um, no?"

"Very well." She continued to deal for the others at the table; one busted at 26 while another held at 17. Her face down card ended up being a lowly two of spades although she ended up with 19 after two more hits. "Blackjack pays 1.5 times the wager so you win 1,500P."

I got up. "No more for me. I'm heading to the cage. Have a good day." I decided to add all 1,500P to the corporate account. A net profit of 2,900P was a small present compared to the tournament prize but I hoped my boss would see I was trying. I left for the cage to cash out.

The sensory overload continued although I managed to keep my head straight instead of looking around aimlessly. There were a few times where a group of girls walked by and I saw they turned their heads in my peripheral vision; the suit made a difference like my boss said it would. Not a lot of people were dressed up like I was so I definitely stood out among the crowd. A man was on his computer while I approached the window.

"Give me one second," the teller said behind the steel bars while furiously tapping his keyboard. "So many transactions today and I take it you're going to do one as well?"

I slid my chips through an open slot on the table. "A modest haul; 2,900 after some blackjack. Do you know where the member service desk is?"

"Guess so. Thank you for playing at Lostelle's," he said while handing me my cash. "As for member services, go to the lobby and take a sharp right. There should be at least four windows open." Finding them still took too long because I didn't know the layout of the place.

"Welcome to member services! How may I help you?" Looking them in the eye was tough because I wasn't sure if they knew I lost my battle.

"When is the next tournament for the battle dome?"

A pamphlet was handed to me. "Next week is our beginner's tournament. All participants must have two or less gym badges. The week after that is our intermediate tournament where everyone must have three to five badges and then the advanced is the week after that where everyone needs at least six badges."

"Do I sign up here like earlier today?"

"Yes, or you could sign up online if you're a member."

"Can I sign up to be a member or is there more?"

"Fill out this form and you're all set."

The process was simple and I was given a bronze key card with my name on it. Any credits I earned would be stored on there and swiping it in a machine could yield electronic flyers or coupons. As for the pamphlet, it had tournament ideas like seniors only or monotype but those weren't for a month or so. The pamphlet wasn't slated to go online until later in the day. With more knowledge on what to expect, I could ask for a different set of Pokémon ahead of time.

Pokémon Services was still open when I stopped in for the second time. The receptionist made me wait since Mister V was watching my coworkers' battles. When he had a break, she let me go see him in his office.

"Back so soon, Ryan? Was our conversation not clear enough?"

I placed my winnings on the table. "Consider this my prize money. The house may win in the end, but today was a win for me." He immediately stood up and grabbed a fist full of my shirt.

"You spent company funds on gambling!?" he screamed at me.

"N-n-no! Check your accounts!" I yelled back out of fear. He let go and did so; nothing had changed in my company account or the overall account.

"Nothing… is gone," he whispered while going over the numbers. "You spent  _your own money_  to get this?"

"Yes," I replied softly worried about what would happen next.

"Oh Ryan… I'm so sorry," he said while lowering his head and putting his hands on it. "It's been so stressful today and I didn't even consider you would use your own money!" He composed himself and let out a deep sigh. "I will personally make it up to you after we open."

I didn't want to go off on a tangent so I pulled out the pamphlet. "Thanks for that. You can keep all of it seeing as I feel bad about losing the way I did. By the way, here's a pamphlet on some tournaments coming up so there won't be any confusion when I'm coming by. An updated version will be online, but this is a glimpse into the future." My boss snatched it out of my hand and read it over.

"Excellent! This will help us so we can set goals more efficiently! Ryan, this is brilliant!"

"Thank you, sir." He started to write down a note.

"Again, I'll see to it that you get rewarded later. It isn't going to be forgotten that you've given the company 100% of funds earned twice and you provided key information." We shared a handshake and I left for home feeling a lot better about myself despite the scare he gave me. To my surprise, mom was home earlier than usual since her bike was outside.

"Ryan, that you?" she asked as I opened the door.

I followed her voice into the kitchen and saw her eating lunch. "Yup!"

Her head perked up. "Where did you get those clothes!?"

"I… bought them? I have more in my room." I could see by her facial expressions that she was putting the pieces together.

"So, how was your first day?"

Telling a half-truth was the way to go. "It was a little rough around the edges. I have to get adjusted to the sales lifestyle but they have some faith in me. It'll take some time, but I know where I stand."

"That was pretty much my first day at Rydel's. Working again tomorrow? I don't know what they're going to do since they're not open yet."

"Yeah, probably working in the field instead of the office," I replied. Technically, my work revolved studying Pokémon not in the Hoenn dex through a textbook or videos. "Speaking of work, why are you home early?"

She twiddled her thumbs. "The first round of interviews for the assistant manager position started before the shop opened."

"And?"

A smile formed on her face. "I passed. Rydel gave me the day off to study a packet he put together. I hid it upstairs, but the next round is coming up quickly."

I threw my hands up in the air. "That's great!"

"Shhh! You'll wake your father," she whispered. "I want it to be a surprise until we eat dinner."

"Oh… sorry," I whispered back.

Dad eventually came down and asked me about my clothes. I didn't respond until I brought everything downstairs. Their eyes went wide and they examined it like it was something they had never seen before. I still had what they bought me a few years back, but my stash was more than I would ever need if I didn't take the job.

Lucas took an interest to everything when he got home seeing as some of the best athletes had the best-looking outfits. Sadie wasn't as impressed although she admitted I looked like a salesman. It was amazing to see that wearing different clothes made people see me in a very different light.

Mom piggybacked off my good news with her own and everyone congratulated her on getting past the first round of interviews. We eventually saw her packet and it looked as thick as her original employee manual; at least 50 pages front and back. I got anxiety just looking at it, but she knew her stuff. After dinner, I changed into more comfortable clothes before going to get my own manual.

The Pokémon Center wasn't too busy aside from trainers who were staying in town for a gym battle. I figured there was an opportunity to battle for a small amount of cash and two trainers caught my eye. They both had short sleeve floral patterned button-down shirts, cargo shorts, and sandals; didn't look like serious trainers at all with one being clearly older than the other.

"Those shirts look really comfortable," I said while walking over to them. "I haven't seen something like that around here before. Where'd you get them and where are you from?"

"Slateport City," the older one replied. "We live there but decided to come up for a few days to see if we could get a badge. I got mine and tomorrow my little bro has his chance."

I sat down next to them. "Would you like one more practice battle? I have a Pokémon that Wattson uses."

The older brother turned to his sibling. "You should take him up on his offer. You just became a trainer last week so you could learn an important lesson, especially since you didn't watch my battle. Turning 13 doesn't magically make you an adult."

"Oh yeah? And you being four years older makes that much of a difference?" Ah, flashbacks of growing up by listening to two random strangers. How did mom and dad keep us in line?

"You in or out?" I asked after they got done taking shots at each other.

"I'll battle," the younger brother replied.

"Want to bet 500P on it?" Nurse Joy looked over and scowled at me.

Technically it wasn't illegal to bet on battles, but doing it at a Pokémon Center was in poor taste. The idea was that it was supposed to be a place to rest one's body and mind without worrying about the dangers of traveling. If a staff member found out, the trainers would most likely get scolded.

"How about for fun? He only has one Pokémon," the older brother passively aggressively replied.

"I can do that. Just a one-on-one battle." We made our way out back to a dirt field with official markings. "My Pokémon will be Magnemite," I said while tossing its ball in the air.

The younger brother grabbed at his belt. "Go Swalot!" I could see his brother smiling on the sideline.

"You can have the first move," I said.

"Good! My Gulpin just evolved last night so I'd love to see the improvement. Use Sludge!"

"Mirror Shot! Don't let it hit you!"

Blobs of purple and brown came Magnemite's way and Mirror Shot broke them up so they wouldn't reach it. The older brother started to laugh as the smoke cleared.

"You won't be able to block this. Toxic!" my opponent ordered. A liquid stream of purple was sent our way and I didn't order a command; Magnemite floated in place as the poisonous material slid off its body.

"Spark!"

"Use Sludge to keep it away!"

His effort proved to be useless as Magnemite charged straight ahead. It easily dodged the attacks and rammed into Swalot for a big hit. On top of that, the poison type was paralyzed.

"Metal Sound into Mirror Shot!"

With Swalot struggling to move, it was forced to listen to the piercing sound before getting levelled with a beam of energy. My opponent's brother pulled up his shirt to his mouth to cover up his snickering. Maybe I would have a flawless battle.

"Get up and use Body Slam!"

"Use your… other attack! The one where things chase the opponent!" The brother on the sideline lost it and rolled on the ground laughing. I really needed a Pokédex if I wanted to be taken seriously in battles.

Magnemite easily dodged the slower poison type before firing off its attack. Swalot dropped like a rock and stayed down. My partner floated in circles in celebration before it started to glow. It kept glowing until a circular ball of light covered it. When the light receded, I had a Magneton. Overjoyed by its evolution, it started to float around the entire field at a high speed.

"Damn… now we're talking," I mumbled to myself. Two evolved Pokémon would allow me to battle a lot more people with confidence. Meanwhile, I saw my opponent walking closer to me.

"That was a fluke," he bluntly stated.

His brother got up and walked next to him. "You still didn't see it, did you? Toxic wasn't draining Magnemite's strength like it would with a Wailmer. I told you that poison moves have no effect on steel types and you didn't believe me."

"Wattson has a Magnemite and Magneton so you wouldn't win with that as your ace," I added. "Better to hear it now as opposed to when you actually battle him."

"And why should I listen to you?" he shot back at me. "You didn't even know one of your Magnemite's attacks!"

"Because I won. Also, because you didn't bother to listen to your brother. You're clearly not ready to take on Mauville's gym if that's your only Pokémon."

"Got any  _helpful_  advice for me instead of putting me down?"

I started to walk away. "Yes, but you wouldn't see it that way. Magneton, let's get you healed up." Nobody was at the counter when I walked up to it.

"Did you actually bully those two out of money?" Nurse Joy asked coming out of the back.

"No. You can ask them when the younger kid comes in with his Swalot. I'd like to heal Magneton." I recalled it and she placed the ball in a healing machine. "Do you have information on Pokémon not native to Hoenn?"

"There's an encyclopedia in Mauville's gym. You're also welcome to use the computer in the corner of the lobby but please be courteous to others who may want to use it."

I was so wrapped up in my job that I forgot about going to the gym for information was an option. Shawn got a year ban from the gym; nothing in my punishment mentioned me being banned. I was only fired. Besides, it's not like I would see Wattson while looking up some data. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to go since I thought it was too soon.

"I'll start with the computer."

Every recorded Pokémon in existence had some information on it, even the mythical and legendary ones. Common ones that could be found or evolved had more information while others like Feebas had a little less to work with. The filtering system was great in the sense that I could see how other trainers used Pokémon in their region's league location or do my own custom search.

I took a scrap piece of paper and wrote down as much relevant information as I could on Aegislash since it was the first Pokémon that caused me problems. When I was done with it, I moved on to Kangaskhan and then its mega form. It was like I was back in school except that not doing my homework was going to cost me a lot more than just a good grade.

Before I went home for the night, I checked the 250,000P prize winner. It was the same trainer that won down in the depths of New Mauville the night I went to blow off steam. He was dressed up as well but his badge was gold. I didn't spot his real name, but "Seven" proved himself immediately.

I had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

The next tournament at Lostelle's was a week later and the field was much smaller. The main reason was that it was meant for trainers with two or less badges which not a lot of people had. Even if someone wanted to participate, there was an entry fee of 500P. It wasn't a lot, but most people figured that money would be better spent on the casino floor. The prize was 10,000P and all battlers had to stay in the green room for the duration of the tournament until they lost. Once registration closed and the staff had taken enough verbal abuse, only 20 people were signed up including myself.

We were given an hour to prepare ourselves before settling in for an afternoon of battling so I took advantage by going to Pokémon Services and changing into my formal wear. My boss wasn't there, but the receptionist understood the situation and escorted me to the back. I was handed the same information sheets as last time.

"I'll take Lairon, Swellow, and Manectric for this battle," I said while handing the sheets back.

I still think those three were the best combination for typing, power, defense, and move variety. Magneton wasn't as strong as Manectric so I needed that added power and speed. Swellow was better than Linoone in terms of raw power overall strength so it made sense to choose it. I needed some time to have my Pokémon battle against street trainers with the rentals as support in case something went wrong.

"Here you go! Can I help you with anything else?" the worker replied.

Lairon was on my mind, but I wasn't sure if I would have enough time to talk to a manager. "Nope. I'll be back later."

"Good luck!"

I left with a little more confidence than last time, especially since I knew Magneton's last attack; Magnet Bomb was an attack that would always chase its target. The only way to defend against it was to attack the metal pieces with a ranged attack or throw some kind of shield up. Pretty handy, but also pretty weak. I was confident in my own Pokémon, but Lairon was still a concern. Maybe he'd be different today.

"Alright, come on out!" I said while walking to the game corner.

He took a liking to the city around him until he saw me. Like last time, he initially turned away and continued to do so every time I tried to look him in the eyes. The attitude hadn't changed which was a little surprising. I'd like to think he'd at least tolerate humans since he would be expected to work alongside them. I had an idea to get something going.

"Getting out of there for the day is probably what you need, right?" It grunted while not turning around. "Maybe a partner would help. Magneton, here we go!"

It appeared and immediately took notice of Lairon. Compared to last time, it put more effort into communicating with it while we walked to Lostelle's. I relied on my peripheral version to watch them as Lairon grunted and Magneton hummed. By the time we got to the front door, Lairon's grunts were replaced with a matter-of-fact tone in his replies and it sounded like they were having a natural conversation. We arrived at the front door and Lairon's mood changed back to headstrong.

"I'll have to call you back until we're on. After we're done, we'll get some snacks. Sound good?" It took a second to look me over before turning away again; I recalled them both. "Thank you, Magneton," I mumbled while walking to the green room.

The competition looked as diverse as the opener with people of all ages waiting. The youngest trainer looked like he was 13 and the oldest trainer was easily over 65 years old; I wouldn't have been surprised if her grandkids were battling as well. Regardless, I'd be an idiot for taking anyone lightly. A lack of badges doesn't mean a lack of experience. Unfortunately, management didn't think that through when thinking of a prize amount.

"Attention please! I have the bracket," a stagehand yelled over everyone while placing it up on the wall. We convened on it with concerned looks on our faces.

"What's this format?"

The stagehand predicted some heat and looked confident. "You all were given a number from 1 to 20 and ranking matters. The first round will be number 14 versus 19, 15 versus 18, 16 versus 17, and 20 versus 13. Winners will move on and face the top four seeds while the other second round matchups are set. See for yourself." She wrote it out so everyone else could understand it better.

_**Round 1:** _

_16 v. 17, 13 v. 20, 15 v. 18, 14 v. 19; lowest seed takes on the 1 seed, second lowest takes on the 2 seed, third lowest takes on the 3 seed, the best seed out of the group takes on the 4 seed._

_**Round 2:** _

_8 v. 9_

_5 v. 12_

_10 v. 7_

_11 v. 6_

_Other battles TBD based on round 1 results._

I took some time to find my name and I was the 20 seed. Complaining would be dumb considering I wasn't even a registered trainer. Maybe the 18 or 19 seed wasn't a trainer either, but I would have to face the number one seed in the next round if I won. All that mattered was that I was in, I had my Pokémon ready to go, and my first opponent was the 13 seed.

"Who's up first?" I asked while some people were still looking over the sheet.

"The first battle will be 13 against 20," the stagehand replied. Figures; trying to get rid of the weakest person first made sense.

"I know I'm the lowest person on the totem pole here. How did you rank everybody else?" I asked out of curiosity.

"We looked at trainer information to determine number of badges won, rounds won at gyms, and length of time for being a trainer in that order. You and Brittany are up first so get to it!"

Brittany was a trainer my age with the Knuckle Badge as her only badge; she hailed from Dewford Town so it made sense. We shared a quick handshake before being escorted onto the field. Compared to last week, the place was nearly empty. The referee's natural voice somewhat echoed in the large room with about 100 spectators.

"Welcome to the first round of the beginner's tournament! This will be a three on three battle with both sides being able to substitute. Take your places in the trainer's box!" Unlike last time, I kept my mouth shut and stayed focused.

"Here we go! I choose Sableye!" Brittany cheerfully exclaimed. Not too surprising since Brawly didn't have too much to work with against ghost types.

"I choose Swellow!"

The flags went up. "Swellow versus Sableye. Go!"

Brittany wasted no time making the first move. "Fake Out!"

"Swellow, Protect!" Sableye couldn't hit my Pokémon fast enough and its weak hit bounced off the barrier. Parts of Swellow's body were engulfed in flames again and I wanted to end the round immediately. "Brave Bird!"

"Counter with Zen Headbutt when it comes down!"

After a few laps, Swellow dove straight down with no regard for its safety and Sableye started to charge ahead. I didn't know what she expected to happen, but her Pokémon didn't stand a chance. Sableye was sent back behind her trainer's box unconscious. The glass cannon scored a direct hit through its makeshift shield.

"Sableye is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"

My partner's adrenaline rush faded and it started to wobble from side to side so I called it back. The recoil took its toll a lot more than I thought. After Brittany got over the initial shock of a quick round, she called out her next Pokémon.

"Go Tentacool!"

Let the slaughter continue. "Go Magneton!" Using Manectric would've been overkill and I figured some experience for my own Pokémon would be a benefit. Her face went pale while the referee gave the signal to start.

"Magneton versus Tentacool. Begin!"

She had every intention of keeping her distance. "Bubble Beam!"

"Pop those bubbles with Mirror Shot!" A stream of bubbles was no match for Magneton's attack which caused a small explosion on Brittany's side of the field. "Follow up with Metal Sound!"

The sound was more than enough to drive both of them crazy. "Make it stop with Water Pulse!"

"Keep going for a little bit longer!" Magneton continued to emit the sound despite taking a solid hit, but I got the result I wanted.

"Tentacool, use Barrier!" Brittany ordered sensing something was off. I had a feeling she'd do that eventually; revealing Spark too early would've caused me problems.

"Fine by me! Mirror Shot!" Magneton's attack hit harder than usual thanks to the effects of Metal Sound. "Now it's time to rush in with Spark!" The barrier limited how much contact Magneton had, but the jellyfish Pokémon was too weak to benefit from its protection and fainted.

"Tentacool is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

With a score of three to one, I thought she would've forfeited. Had I actually used Manectric, she probably would have. The pale look on her face came back as she reached for her last Pokémon.

"Golbat, let's go," she sighed.

I couldn't blame Brittany that much considering her team was designed to take on Brawly or anyone else that favor fighting types. Maybe she has one more Pokémon that she just caught, but those three weren't going to cut it against someone with evolved Pokémon. Since Magneton could finish the job, I wanted to try something new.

"Magneton, return! Go Lairon!"

A look of displeasure was written on her face. "You're joking, right? That's poor sportsmanship at best," she moaned.

"Hey, I've never used Lairon in battle before," I replied. Lairon seemed attentive and didn't look like he was willing to put up a front.

"Lairon versus Golbat. Go!"

Brittany put her hands on her hips. "We may not win, but we'll annoy you until the end. Golbat, use Confuse Ray!" A ball of light floated in the air before rushing at Lairon. It tried to shake its head to compose itself, but it was still swaying.

"Try Rock Slide!" Lairon ran around the field aimlessly before stomping the ground in Golbat's direction. Rock chunks flew up from underneath the ground, but they weren't as big as they could be. Still, they could do some damage.

"Use Swift to break them up for good measure!"

Golbat fired away and broke every chunk into stones and they rained down on Lairon. A few stray stars hit him as well, but it snapped him out of confusion. He looked upset that his attack was countered so easily.

"Rock Slide again!"

Without any distractions, the attack came out in full force. Golbat was hit as the rocks flew up and then it was crushed under the weight. Lairon looked legitimately happy about his performance as the referee gave his decision.

"Golbat is unable to battle. Lairon wins! This match goes to the 20th seed!"

A few sarcastic claps came from the audience, but I didn't care. I didn't let my ego get in the way, I won by a wide margin, and I got Lairon to listen to me. The jury is still out on if it's battling for itself or to work together with me, though. Brittany and I met at midfield to shake hands before we retired to the green room.

Bring on the number one seed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarification on Ryan and his Pokémon knowledge: he knows the "OR/AS" (as the story is gen 6 based) Hoenn Pokédex only, including all megas native to Hoenn, hence him not knowing what a Mareep was earlier in the story.
> 
> I'll throw this in here as well: if you choose to gamble, please do so responsibly.


	7. Respect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs

Nobody in the green room wanted to talk to Brittany or myself when we returned. Maybe they were trying to focus, maybe our battle wasn't worth talking about, or maybe they thought we didn't want to talk. Regardless, I was at a disadvantage for revealing three of my Pokémon and I knew someone had to have taken notice. We couldn't leave, but it allowed everyone time to plan. There was a little down time while crews worked to fix the field so I took a moment to heal everyone up and shut my eyes.

I faded in and out of consciousness throughout the next few rounds, catching glimpses of battles on the television whenever my eyes were open. The only "upset" of the first round was that the 17 seed beat the 16 seed which ended on a funny note. It was a Voltorb against a Volbeat in a 1-1 match and sensing the electric type was running out of energy, its trainer ordered a Self-Destruct to force a draw; the opponent countered with Protect. I wasn't sure if losing that way was worse than being swept.

My turn rolled around again as the stagehand ushered me to the side door. The number one seed was a trainer looking to be slightly older than me and was also dressed up. I didn't see a lanyard with a company badge. I realized that I had more value to Pokémon Services than I thought. He stuck his hand out.

"Hey! Name's Randall. I take it you're my opponent?"

I shook his hand. "I'm Ryan. I take it you have two badges?"

"Heat and Dynamo to be exact," he said while pulling his badge case out. "Flannery wasn't too bad since she was my hometown gym leader, but I needed a special Pokémon to deal with Wattson."

"Should be interesting to see what that would be," I replied.

We were led to the field and took our places. There was a slightly larger crowd this time around although nowhere near close to capacity. Our referee gave his cadence and the battle was on.

"Let's start with Swellow!" I yelled.

Randall just smiled and casually tossed out his partner. "Here we go Electrode!" I couldn't tell if that was the Pokémon he was talking about, but it was his answer to Swellow. Unfortunately, type advantage was all he would have.

"Swellow versus Electrode. Begin!"

"Thunder Wave!" Okay, maybe he knew what he was doing. Teaching it an electric type TM was odd, but it was a good surprise.

"You're faster than that! Use Protect!"

It wasn't an encompassing barrier like usual, but it stopped the electricity from reaching its body. Randall stayed calm as if he knew that was going to happen.

"Charge Beam!" A quick stream of lightning flew at Swellow and hit it as Protect's effect faded. Swellow's Flame Orb activated and the fun was about to begin.

"Façade!"

Now Randall panicked. "Roll away then use Charge Beam!"

Electrode did its best to roll around evading the attack, but Swellow had great closing speed and rammed into it from above. With my partner burned, Façade's power was doubled plus there would be a boost from Guts. Charge Beam wasn't going to be fired as Electrode rolled so that its face was to the ceiling. It didn't try to roll forward.

"Electrode is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"

I didn't want to gloat about how Façade was my finishing move or how electric types don't resist it like Brave Bird. As far as I know, he could be lulling me into a false sense of security. Swellow was looking healthier as opposed to when I used Brave Bird so maybe I could pull a sweep.

"Well, looks like I have to try something different. Magcargo, you're up!" As much as I wanted to push through, it wasn't worth the risk.

"Swellow, return! Let's try Manectric!"

The referee threw the flags up. "Manectric versus Magcargo. Begin!"

"Thunder!" I confidently ordered.

"Douse it with Lava Plume!" Randall called out.

A stream of lava met the electricity in the middle of the field at a standstill. After a few seconds, smoke formed and covered the whole battlefield. I took advantage of Manectric's speed.

"Run to where it's warm and use Thunder in that direction!"

"Don't let it hit you! Ancient Power!"

Medium sized boulders came up from the ground with some as a shield and others going at my Pokémon. Thunderbolt broke up a few rocks and sent smaller shards back at Magcargo's makeshift shield.

"Okay, let's try something different. Rain Dance!"

Manectric summoned a rain cloud on the rain help the smoke disappear. As a bonus, Magcargo was very uncomfortable with the rain hitting its shell. Everyone could see the steam coming from its body.

"Magcargo, return!" He took some time to make his decision. "Machoke!" I didn't want my work to go to waste so I kept Manectric in.

"Manectric versus Machoke. Battle!" the referee said.

"The rain is up so I'll make this short. Manectric, use Thunder!" The attack had no problem finding its mark but didn't knock it out.

"Use Revenge!" Randall ordered.

Machoke recklessly charged straight ahead with its arms out trying to grab at Manectric. Without ordering a command, my partner dodged. I knew it was too slow to catch up and Manectric wasn't too injured to keep running. I'd play around a little more, but it wasn't the time.

"Thunder!"

A powerful bolt of lightning struck Machoke a second time in the rain. Randall sighed at the quick turn of events and that the battle was looking bleak. His Pokémon attempted to stand up, but collapsed.

"Machoke is unable to battle. Manectric wins!"

Only a weakened Magcargo stood between me and the next round. It came out unhappy after seeing the rain was still falling. My partner flashed a grin knowing it had every advantage possible. When the referee called for the round to start, sparks started to come from its body.

"You already know what to do, Manectric. Fire away!" It launched a Thunder that filled the other side of the field. Randall's Pokémon ended up unconscious on its side.

The referee quickly raised his flag. "Magcargo is unable to battle. Manectric wins! This battle goes to the 20 seed!"

The claps from the audience weren't sarcastic this time around. A dominating performance over arguably the best trainer here should've garnered some attention on the gaming floor. I had a sudden realization that I also hustled everyone here. People can be skilled without badges, but not many of those people have Pokémon with move sets like the ones I used. An uneasy feeling among the rest of the field resonated in the green room when I walked in. All I did was shrug my shoulders and smile innocently.

None of the other battles gave me the impression that anyone stood a chance in terms of trainer skill. A lot of rookie mistakes like staying in too long or having four water attacks on a water Pokémon. Aside from a Dusclops, Breloom, and Delcatty, nothing of note really stood out. There was probably going to be more diversity in tournaments where more badges were needed to enter, but that would have to wait.

"We're done with round two! There will be a break to fix the field so take the time to see the updated bracket," the stagehand said while pinning the results to the wall.

_**Round 2 results:** _

_20 def. 1_

_2 def. 16_

_3 def. 15_

_4 def. 14_

_9 def. 8_

_10 def. 7_

_5 def. 12_

_6 def. 11_

_**Quarterfinals** _

_20 v. 9_

_5 v. 4_

_2 v. 10_

_3 v. 6_

I was hoping there would be more upsets, but the skill gap was too big. When a trainer with seven badges battles one with six, it could go either way. Then again, Lostelle's method for seeding wasn't the best. Drawing straws would've been just as good but I didn't get paid to make that decision. After the intermission, I walked to the field with my opponent.

Caroline was more on the shy side for a young teenager and didn't look up until she was in the trainer's box. Her hand was shaking as she reached for her belt, her breathing started to get shorter and quicker, and she was constantly wiping her forehead. I wasn't sure if it was because of my past battles or something else.

"You both know the rules by now so let's get going," the referee said.

"C-c-can I have a Pokémon beside me? It won't battle," she said just loud enough for us to hear but not the audience.

"I'll have to ask your opponent for this round." The referee turned to me. "How do you want to handle this?"

"She'll have to assume it'll get hit. I'm not going to intentionally target it but if she's willing to protect it, I don't mind. What is it?" I responded.

She answered by calling it out which was what I wanted to avoid. "Swablu's not going to do anything. Honest! I'll keep it behind me," Caroline said with a hint of nervousness.

"Keep it behind you, but off to the side so I can see it. I know it has the potential to use Sing which would put you at an advantage. I didn't pay attention to your earlier battles, but I'll assume that didn't happen. Right, ref?"

He nodded. "Correct. Other trainers haven't noticed their Pokémon falling asleep along with my colleagues. Are we set?"

"Yeah. I choose Swellow for the first round," I said after her Swablu hopped a few feet back.

"I c-c-cho-o-ose Wigglytuff," she whispered.

Caroline's Pokémon showed more confidence than she did although a pink puff balloon wasn't going to last long against my heavy hitter. The lack of confidence by her was not good for someone taking the gym challenge.

"Swellow versus Wigglytuff. Battle!"

I wasted no time going for the knockout. "Quick Attack!"

"Stockpile!" Caroline shrieked nervously.

Wigglytuff sucked in air and its body inflated to roughly twice its size. The added defense didn't make much of a difference as Swellow flew right into it. Her Pokémon let the air out and hunched over in pain; handling a weak move like Quick Attack so poorly was an indicator of how weak it was. When the Flame Orb activated, I wanted to end it as quickly as possible.

"Use Façade from above!"

Swellow ascended before coming down from directly overhead. Wigglytuff tried attacking on its own, but my Pokémon came in too fast for it to matter. I figured sending it across the field was going to make her lose any control she had so making a direct impact would be less stressful to the naked eye. Her partner was on its back a few inches into the ground, but it looked comfortable while it was unconscious.

"Wigglytuff is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"

Her Swablu hopped forward before sitting atop her head. It hummed a quick song then sat at her feet waiting to be pet. All the nervousness from earlier seemed to go away as she analyzed the situation. I thought she was hustling me, but her hand still shook as she made her next choice.

"Um, Wailmer? Yeah, Wailmer! Here we go!" she said with a smile.

Her demeanor was more positive but unfortunately, I would have to break her confidence two more times. Switching to Manectric or Magneton seemed like overkill so I didn't make a change. Flame Orb's flames inflicted their pain before the referee gave the signal.

"Swellow versus Wailmer. Go!"

Another quick round was in the cards. "Façade!"

"Water Pulse!" Caroline ordered with confidence.

"Fly up and strike when you see an opening!"

Balls of water were sent skyward until they fell apart. Swellow took a hit from the second wave although it didn't get confused. The wings were doused, but the Flame Orb reactivated and it took damage from its burn. After the last one dispersed, it flew down like last time with the same result.

"Wailmer is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"

Just like last time, Swablu did its ritual to calm its trainer down. Caroline still looked like she was struggling to make a decision: put up with one more round or forfeit. Unless she had a powerhouse like Blaziken or Gardevoir, she would need a miracle to pull off a win. She didn't move as the referee looked in her direction.

"Miss? Do you want to continue?"

"I… I don't know." Instead of waiting for a decision, Swablu hopped in front of her trainer's box. "What are you doing!? You'll get hurt!" It defiantly shook its head to establish how much it wanted to fight.

I recalled Swellow. "Look, I get the whole pride for the trainer thing… but I think you should use another Pokémon. Maybe it's stronger than I give it credit for. I just don't know."

Caroline looked at her belt again. "I have one more, but it doesn't listen to me at times," she said just above a mumble. "Using it here hasn't been fun."

"Are there any more you have?" I asked sincerely.

"No."

I let out a deep sigh. "Forfeiting is the best way to go based on what you told me. I don't want to go too hard on Swablu, but there's a lot of money on the line and I won't hesitate to knock it out. I'm okay with you making another switch."

She thought about it for a few minutes before dropping to her knees. "I have to battle!" she sobbed. "But not like this!" This wasn't a classic case of stage fright; she genuinely didn't want to be here. Any trainer would've put up more of a fight. Caroline continued to sob as the official turned to me.

"Regardless of what she does, you still need a Pokémon on the field."

Maybe I could get her to back to her senses with an easier opponent. "Linoone is my choice," I said while tossing its ball onto the field. Linoone was a lot weaker in comparison to the rental Pokémon, but it could easily knock out a Swablu.

"Linoone versus Swablu. Begin!"

So much for waiting. "Sir, I think it would be better to call the battle in my favor. My opponent clearly isn't willing to fight," I said.

"Well, her Pokémon is," he replied. These refs must've been rookies to not even consider the situation in front of them.

"Headbutt," I droned to Linoone. Her Swablu charged ahead with Peck.

A collision at midfield went Linoone's way as he sent the tiny flying Pokémon back to her owner's box. It wasn't knocked out so I started to plan another attack. Swablu's attitude changed and it turned its back to us. Linoone walking up to it didn't cause it to even flinch; it had no intention of battling.

"Try Baby-Doll Eyes," I ordered casually.

My opponent's Pokémon continued to turn away. Out of curiosity, Linoone got closer only to be denied again. It didn't even flinch when Linoone poked at it. I think the referee got the hint after Swablu didn't lunge forward despite Linoone being inches away from it on eight different occasions.

"Swablu refuses to battle. Linoone wins! This round goes to the 20 seed!"

Caroline was still a nervous wreck when I made my way over to her. I didn't want to add potential fuel to the fire by talking to her, but she needed to get away from the crowd. Offering my hand was the least I could do.

"Want to talk things over in the green room?"

She grabbed it and I helped her up. "Yeah," she sniveled.

The remaining trainers in the green room looked at us uncomfortably until we were by the exit. The awkwardness of the situation diminished when the stagehand yelled for the next two trainers to head out. It revved up again when a woman in an elegant dress yanked a door open and a security guard giving chase.

"Where's my daughter!?" The sudden outburst made us jump and Caroline yelped. "There you are! What happened?"

"Ma'am, you need to wait outside!" he yelled still trying to catch up to her.

"We need to talk, Caroline," She turned to me. "And I'd like to talk to you too young man!"

Neither of us said a word as the guard caught up and calmly escorted us out. The hallway was empty aside from the three of us as Caroline calmed down.

"Who am I talking to, exactly?" I asked.

"Her mother," she shot back.

Oh… this was going to be good. "What's there to talk about?"

Her face went red. "You know damn well what I want to talk about! You can't just expect to make my daughter cry and get away with it! What did you do to her?"

"Nothing unusual. The better question is why was she battling here to begin with? I've never heard of a comfort Pokémon during a battle. Anyone who would try to pull that off would get laughed at in every gym in Hoenn," I replied. "Some trainers have a certain level of stage fright but she clearly wasn't comfortable here. The fact she won her first two battles is honestly amazing; I don't know how to feel about that even though I didn't pay attention."

"Shiftry. I used mom's Shiftry," Caroline responded while placing a Great Ball on the ground. "But it didn't listen to me all the time. After the second battle, I was scared of it." I couldn't get upset at her mother for giving her a boost since I was in the same boat.

"This is going to sound harsh, but it's true. The reason Shiftry didn't obey Caroline was because it didn't see her as a good trainer. Rather than risk losing or getting injured, it probably took initiative on its own," I added.

"Oh! So you're saying my daughter isn't a good trainer!? She has Rustboro's gym badge and is near the top of her class at Rustboro's Trainer School!" Security thought it was going to get bad, but I motioned that I was fine.

"Roxanne likes rock types and your daughter has a Wailmer. I'll give her credit for winning since a kid her age tried to battle Wattson with an army of Trapinch on his team. She's got a long way to go before participating in something like this," I said.

Her mother started to sarcastically laugh. "That's rich! All this coming from someone with no badges."

"That  _someone_  won handily. At the risk of sounding like more of a jerk, those quick rounds and how I attacked were acts of mercy. Heck,  _anything_  besides quick rounds would've caused her more emotional pain. I'm sorry, but she's not as ready as you think she is. Don't worry though; she's not the only trainer that I made cry in my lifetime so it's nothing to be ashamed of." At that point, she grabbed my shirt and security restrained her.

"You wouldn't stand a chance against me or my husband!" she yelled trying to call out a Pokémon while being held.

"Ma'am, you need to calm down. Let's go. We'll have your daughter wait here for a bit with security and bring her to you later," the guard said before radioing for a colleague. She was led away and Caroline slumped against the wall.

I helped her up a second time so we could wait inside the green room. With two trainers battling and the other four doing their own thing, it wasn't an overwhelming environment. Her team was healed which allowed Swablu to sit beside her without any lingering pain. I sat next to her although I didn't try to talk to her; she eventually did it on her own.

"Being a coordinator is something that I've always wanted to do," she mumbled. "School doesn't focus on that, though. I thought I could learn more on vacation before going back to Rustboro."

I turned to her. "School helps coordinators, but not in the traditional sense of practicing for contests. Once you learn about the different types of Pokémon and their moves, you can figure out which categories to enter. My mom tried the cool category with a Wingull when she was younger."

"How'd she do?"

A laugh escaped my mouth. "Bad. She still had a good time though."

"I wish I felt the same about battling. School's one thing but I don't like to battle for fun. It's scary to see how hard they can hit each other." I think she was pushed into this tournament for the money, but I didn't want to throw that accusation out in the open.

"Yeah, I understand how people can feel uncomfortable about that. When you go back to school, talk to your parents and teachers about being a coordinator. Don't let today get you down too much because today has nothing to do with being a coordinator… and you have Swablu supporting you."

She found a chair facing a television. "Thanks for that. All I can do is wait here until security comes back to get me."

Swablu sat atop her head until she was allowed to leave. I started paying attention to the battles and based on what I saw, it was going to be a cakewalk. No Pokémon could take a boosted Façade unless they were fast enough to dodge. The last battle finished and I stood by the door.

"Can I have the 20 seed and the 4 seed? Ryan and… Chase?" the stagehand asked.

I almost didn't move because I didn't feel like the 20 seed anymore. We walked out and saw we had more of an audience. Well,  _I_ had more of an audience. How often does the lowest seed make it to the semifinals?

"Gotta give these people a show," I said while pacing in my trainer box. "We can have fun too."

"If you say so," Chase sighed. "Let's go Swellow." The lack of enthusiasm was what I wanted to hear.

"Manectric, time to battle!"

The referee surveyed the field. "Manectric versus Swellow. Go!"

I wasted no time setting up. "Rain Dance!"

"Quick Attack!"

Dark clouds formed over the field as Manectric took a hard hit. Within a few seconds, a light drizzle covered the field. There was nowhere to run.

"Thunder!"

Swellow saw the sparks coming out of my Pokémon and flew around hoping to throw it off. To nobody's surprise, Thunder found its mark. The flying type dropped like a rock and twitched until the electricity left its body. A look of frustration came over my opponent although he looked determined to fight so I couldn't let up.

"Swellow is unable to battle. Manectric wins!"

Chase remained stoic. "It's Combusken's turn."

"I won't switch," I said.

"Alright! Manectric versus Combusken. Battle!"

I wasn't sure what his plan was, but it wasn't going to happen. "Quickly, use Thunder!" A bolt of electricity flew across the field and Combusken collapsed instantly.

"Call out your next Pokémon," the referee said to Chase.

The will to fight was sucked out of him after the previous round. "No need to rush. I already know what's going to happen. Mightyena, you just evolved but it's time to battle," he droned.

"Go!" the referee ordered.

"Thunder!"

"Sand Attack!"

An attempt to blind Manectric was useless as the attack followed the rain to its target. It whimpered before going unconscious. The rain stopped and the flag was up.

"Mightyena is unable to battle. Manectric wins! The battle goes to the 20 seed!" We shared a quick handshake at midfield before going back to the green room.

Both trainers for the other semifinal battle rolled their eyes at me knowing the next battle was going to be a wild ride. With an empty lounge after they took the field, I called out my team to watch the television for extra motivation. Lairon was glued to the battle like a child watching Saturday morning cartoons. I saw the stagehand wave me over once we were set.

"You'll have to call everyone back before they come back to heal their Pokémon. Other than that, it's the last battle so leave it out on the field." I did so after  _Finals: 20 v. 2_ flashed across the screen and the timer started counting down from ten minutes.

My opponent was a trainer my age with two badges named Devin. He was quiet although very serious about seeing the tournament through to the end. A table was being set up at the concourse level and a woman with a microphone was leaning against the railing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the beginner's tournament! I am Lostelle and I will be presenting the grand prize to the winner! Good luck!" She pointed down to the official and he took over.

"Same rules as we have been doing all day. The lower seed will send out their Pokémon first."

I knew Devin was sitting on Swellow so I decided to throw him off. "Lairon, let's go!"

"Okay then, I'll go with Tropius," he replied.

"Lairon versus Tropius. Begin!"

Switching to Swellow was my best option, but I knew he had one trick up his sleeve. Keeping Lairon out on the field was the better move. Tropius isn't that threatening considering my team so I'll wait it out.

"Start off with Magical Leaf!" Devin ordered. Rainbow colored leaves flew from its grassy wings and pelted Lairon's body.

"Hang tough and use Rock Slide!"

Lairon angrily stomped on the ground to break up the field. Rock chunks flew above Tropius and it started to panic when they started to fall.

"Fly through the barrage!" The giant Pokémon evaded major damage but still had its wings clipped or took a smaller rock to the head. "Go higher and use Whirlwind!"

It was nearly at the ceiling when its giant wings sent strong winds down below. Lairon held its ground for as long as it could before being sent back to its ball. Another partner was forced out and it ended up being Linoone. Not the one I wanted.

I had an idea to turn it around. "Pin Missile!"

"Dodge to the right!" The attack fell short even if Tropius stayed put. "Leaf Tornado!"

Large rocks from Lairon's earlier attack were still lying around. "Hide behind a rock!"

The raging wind combined with the sharp leaves cut into the rock. There wasn't much room to hide, but it was still sturdy enough for what I wanted to do.

"Magical Leaf!"

"Pop up and use Pin Missile!" Linoone poked his head up and fired as much as he could. A few leaves got through, but the collisions in midair created a nice smokescreen. "Use the rock to jump and fire away!"

Pins nailed Tropius in the chest and it started to fly closer to the ground. The heavy breathing told me it wasn't as strong or conditioned as it looked.

"Keep up the pressure with Sand Attack!" I yelled. It ran forward and kicked up as much sand as it could.

Devin reached for his belt. "Get back! Let Graveler take over!" The substitution forced my hand as well.

"Linoone, return! Go Lairon!"

Graveler was the one thing I was nervous about since I had nothing to take it on with ease. Manectric's Hidden Power type was a mystery, Magneton knew two steel type attacks but had a quadruple weakness to ground, Lairon was in the same boat but with better defenses. Swellow wouldn't last long and Linoone would hardly scratch it. The rentals were strong, but the type disadvantage significantly cut the gap.

"Lairon versus Graveler. Go!"

I needed a heavy hit early. "Charge in with Iron Head!"

"Bulldoze!"

The field started to rumble and became harder to navigate. Lairon leaped the last few feet to ensure a hit, much to everyone's surprise. It landed awkwardly and Its legs were shaking even though the field was still. Devin saw the sign of weakness.

"Magnitude!" Graveler slammed the ground with all four hands but they were out of sync. Still, the impact was enough to fling Lairon into the air on its back. "Rollout before it lands! It can't turn for Iron Head!"

It went back before rolling to where Lairon would land. "Iron Tail!"

My partner's tail started to glow and he moved it down as much as he could to hit Graveler first. The impact created a large dust storm with Lairon emerging victorious although he could barely stand; took it like a champ.

"Graveler is unable to battle. Lairon Wins!" The crowd cheered at its performance.

"Fantastic job, Lairon! Take a break," I yelled over the crowd. He turned around and nodded before the red beam took him back. I looked over to a defiant Devin. "Now you have no more threats to my team. Swellow, time to wreak havoc! Then we can get some food after."

"Sandslash might have something to say about that," he said while tossing its ball onto the field.

"Swellow versus Sandslash. Begin!"

Devin immediately went on the defensive. "Start with Defense Curl!"

"Time for some pinball. Quick Attack and swat it with your wings!"

Although Swellow grimaced when it swatted at the ground type, it was more effective than directly ramming into it. Sandslash came out of its ball form looking upset that something got in a free hit. Flame Orb also did its job and the writing was on the wall.

"Use Façade!" I ordered.

"Defend with Swift!" A few stars weren't going to do anything and Swellow hit it square in the chest for the knockout.

"Sandslash is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"

Everyone in the stands cheered even louder than last time sensing the battle was going to end. With a three to one advantage and Tropius injured from earlier, it wasn't going to take a hit. The only hope he had was to dodge Swellow until the burn made it faint.

"Swellow versus Tropius. Go!"

"Brave Bird! Wrap it up!" I yelled with excitement.

Tropius braced for impact seeing as my partner was moving too fast for a chance at dodging. A loud noise echoed throughout the arena as the two collided. The giant Pokémon collapsed to the ground while Swellow took a victory lap after the burn took come energy away.

"Tropius is unable to battle. Swellow wins! This battle goes to the 20 seed!"

Loud whistling and cheering came down from the crowd above so I took a bow. Not only did I win, but I dominated every battle. Never did I ever think that getting 10,000P would be so easy. Well, 2,000P after I give up my portion to the company. Lostelle made her way down with a wireless microphone and a manila envelope.

"Congratulations on your impressive streak! Here is your cash prize!" I waved to everyone and we were eventually escorted back by security.

My victory felt short-lived since Lostelle had security block the exit. "There's no way you have less than two badges," she said while rubbing her forehead.

"You would be wrong," I replied. "I'm not even a registered trainer. Your staff confirmed it when I entered."

"Bullshit! My dad isn't going to be swindled out of money!"

"Got a computer?"

A guard pulled out a laptop. "Beat us to it. Type in your information," he said.

Zero results came up for my name which was interesting. Maybe the league had a separate file for gym trainers that wasn't accessible by the public. Either way, I proved my case and could keep the money.

"Tell you what," Lostelle started. "Next time you register for a tournament, you'll have five badges according to our system. You're no beginner, but you're still far from an experienced trainer. Is that a fair compromise?"

Moaning and groaning out loud wasn't a good idea so I did it internally. Being put in the same pool as true beginners was an easy way to make money and I lost an easy source of income. On the flip side, future payouts would be larger and I would get a better initial ranking in a large pool of battlers. Denying her offer would probably get me banned from future tournaments as well. The only problem was that I had to tell my boss.

"Deal. Take my game card so the info is on there too." They used the laptop to change my status. "Are we good now?"

"Yes. We're done here," she bluntly responded. I waited a few minutes after she left before going to a buffet area.

They had a nice spread with dishes from all over Hoenn to go with every type of high quality Pokémon food. Magneton was given a portable power bank to take the electricity from. I didn't know what they ate at the office, but today would be a treat. They liked their food except for Lairon. He stared at his bowl unsure of what to do.

"I told you we would get food after. Enjoy it," I urged while smiling. "You did a good job today! Dig in!"

It slowly took a bite, then another, then scarfed it down faster than everyone else. He pointed to the serving area and I got him another bowl after seeing how well it tasted. Everyone else followed suit so I got them a second helping. It was refreshing to see the rentals relax although Lairon was clearly happier than Swellow despite me removing its Flame Orb before eating. Manectric somehow got in a power nap with the noise around us.

"Everyone, you all did great today! Let's get you guys back home. I want to get out of these clothes too," I said while taking my last bite.

Lostelle's tournament took a good chunk of the day and it was 3:30 when I made my way back to Pokémon Services. They were still closed to the public, but it was clear they were going to open and the business wasn't a pipe dream. Some local packages sat behind the reception desk although most of their equipment was still on its way.

"Returning your Pokémon?" the receptionist asked.

"Yup! If you could tell Mister V that I won the beginner's tournament today, I'd appreciate that."

She picked up the phone. "Let me try him now." I rubbed my hands in anticipation to tell him the good news. "Hello? Do you have a second?" I could hear heavy winds through the phone; probably was on the boat. "I have one of your trainers here." After a few seconds, she gave me the phone.

"Ryan! Glad you made an effort to call first. I saw the whole thing live on the boat and needed some fresh air. That performance was why I hired you."

"Thank you, sir. Expect 8,000P more when you check my company account tomorrow morning."

"Good! Now let me be honest for a second. Normally, you would go home and wait for the next avaible tournament. However, I did say I owe you a favor so here it is. You may take one Pokémon from the three you used today and rent it whenever you want." My face lit up. With three evolved Pokémon, I was more enticed to participate in more street battles. The question was who would I pick?

Manectric was the least likely seeing as I had a Magneton. Lairon was a great tank and it was starting to open up to me. But then there was Swellow: the one Pokémon that could end a battle in a single attack. Magneton could cover its rock, ice, and electric weaknesses while Linoone could wear the opponent down enough to where Swellow could clean up. The tipping point was Swellow covered the obvious fighting weakness my original partners had. Lairon had a lot of defense, but it would take longer for it to knock out fighting Pokémon.

"I would like Swellow as my option."

"Okay then, I will send out a memo. Anything else for me?"

"One thing. It's about future tournaments."

A long pause made me feel uncomfortable. "Go on," he said inquisitively.

"The owner's daughter put me down for owning five badges for future tournaments because I dominated every battle. Had I seen this coming, I would've eased up. The good news is that the payouts coming from me will be larger."

"Interesting," he hummed. "You're not banned... which is good. I'll think about redoing your Pokémon selection list. Don't let it bother you too much; it further proves you're a good battler."

I internally breathed a sigh of relief. "Will do. I've got nothing else."

"Excellent. Congratulations on the win and I look forward to seeing how you fare against stronger opponents. Put me back on with the receptionist please."

By the look on her face, she was being given instructions. The call ended and I could keep Swellow until their listed closing time of 10:00pm. I assumed that if I kept it past then, I wouldn't be able to rent it out in the future. I waved goodbye, went to the Pokémon Center to heal up for good measure, went to the bank, and then went home. Nobody was home so I made the decision to go to New Mauville before picking up my travel bag. As far as everyone knew, I was still working.

The ferry ride over was calm since it was nearly empty. Vinny had the day off so I could focus my attention on preparing for a stressful environment. The ninth floor of the underground facility was "off limits" and I doubt anyone was going to play nice with no security there.

A group of about 40 trainers stood on the sidelines of an active battlefield. An older man's Muk had the upper hand over a Kecleon and the battle eventually ended with a direct hit from Sludge Bomb. The group cheered before the loser threw a wad of money across to the other side in anger. Things escalated when the winner took that as a sign of disrespect. He then yelled about how it wasn't the right amount and rushed over in a fit of rage. Everyone had to jump in and pull the two apart; the loser slammed the wall in frustration once he got to the stairs. That was a very lucky loser.

"Who's got next?" someone asked.

"Yo! I'm up," a man shouted while working his way to the field.

"Me too," a woman my age said while squirming her way to the front. "Same as it's been all day?"

The man stretched. "Same rules, but I want 3,000 this time. I think 2,000 is a bit low."

"Ha! Fuck that. I'm going 3,500." The man stopped and thought about the raise in the bet.

"Come on! Are you battling her or not? I'll take your place," another person asked while itching to step into the makeshift trainer's box.

He threw his hands up sarcastically. "Well shit… I guess so."

I stood in the back of the group with my arms folded expecting a good battle. A Ninjask was sent out on the man's side while the woman countered with a Golduck. Both trainers were hesitant to make the first move until the man with the Ninjask caved first. Once the battle started, the crowd inched closer except for one person. I ignored them but could feel I was getting looked over. I eventually felt the footsteps come closer to me and heard a whisper above the chaos.

"Ryan? Is that you?"


	8. Test Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

A woman roughly my age was looking me over like a museum exhibit while the battle was in full swing. I didn't want to say anything since I didn't recognize her but she wasn't threatening me. Eventually she gave up and looked back the battle. She was heavily invested in the man with the Ninjask as if she made a side bet with someone that he would win.

Golduck fell to the floor which prompted a huge roar from the crowd. The opponent threw out an Azumarill to get back up to speed. Ninjask's superior speed made the water type frustrated while forcing a few misses. A well-placed Slash cut down the second Pokémon in its way which led to things reaching a fever pitch. A Seviper was sent out with every intention of attacking the man.

"Cecil! Watch out for Poison Tail!"

Ninjask took the hit in stride before hacking away at the poisonous snake with Slash. After Ninjask retaliated, it tossed Seviper's unconscious body to the side and went right up to the other trainer. It creeped closer and closer until she backed away out of fear.

"What you do next can keep me on the high road or I can take the low road like you. I think you should pay me first and then stay away from me for the rest of the night; your call." His opponent took a deep breath, recalled Seviper, pulled out 3,500P in cash, counted it out loud, wrapped it in a rubber band, then backed away from the field once she threw it to his side.

"Pick up the money so we can keep going. We don't have all day!" someone else groaned.

"I'll get it. You want next? Ninjask isn't that tired," Cecil asked.

"Really? It looks poisoned to me." The flying and bug type Pokémon was a little disoriented, but didn't show any signs of being bothered. Cecil let out a sigh.

"I'll take a little break but I might have one more battle in me later." Two others rushed in to fill the spot and started to throw out wagers.

The woman next to me started making her way over to Cecil and sat with him by the stairs. A few people looked over but then turned back to the battle when they saw nothing happening. I saw the two staring at the crowd to make sure nobody was eyeing them as they made their move. I walked over and the man stood up; the woman calmed him down.

"We'll get this taken care of. Chimecho, use Heal Bell on Ninjask. Keep it down if you can," the woman whispered. A faint bell noise reverberated around us and Ninjask's poison went away.

It hit me. "Oh! You're… you're… oh man, what's your name again? You said Chimecho wasn't much of a battler. I remember catching that Magnemite for you guys."

"I'm Maddie. Nice to meet you again!" she said jokingly. "What are you doing down here?"

I pointed to the field. "The same reason you guys are. Your boyfriend might not even have to battle again because he got a nice haul." Cecil pointed to his belt.

"This time I came down here prepared. Ninjask is still my go-to partner though."

"And what about Maddie?"

She twiddled her thumbs and looked at the ground away from me. It wasn't as bad as Caroline at the battle dome, but coming down this far without any intention of battling wasn't a good idea. They looked like they had everything under control so I wasn't overly concerned.

"Since I last saw you, we went on vacation in Lilycove City. I caught a Xatu at the Safari Zone and dove for a Clamperl that I evolved into Gorebyss. They're not as strong as Cecil's Pokémon, but they're not weak."

I turned to the field and then back to them. "Hope you're ready if you get roped into a battle or ready to run."

Maddie shot me a confused look. "I'm more worried about you. Linoone and Magnemite doesn't sound like a winning combination down here."

A smile formed on my face. "Hope you brought some popcorn."

We walked back to the edge of the crowd to watch the end of the other battle. After hearing the loser complain, he paid up and I rushed to take his place. A few people laughed at my enthusiasm since it was out of place.

"Okay happy guy, I'll take you on," a heavyset man said while getting ready.

I played innocent. "What are the rules again? I already forgot."

"Kid, you should just go home. This isn't a place for you."

"Just tell me the rules, fat boy," I shot back. The crowd "oohed" and laughed while my opponent was visibly mad.

"Do you want your Pokémon wheeled out of here on a stretcher or buried underneath the field?" he responded. "We battle until one of us runs out of Pokémon; that's it. I'll put down 3,000P to shut you up."

My pocket wasn't too full, but I knew I had at least that much. "That sounds fine to me. I'll start with Swellow."

"Crippling your team will be so much fun. Go Dusclops! Get it there with Will-O-Wisp!" He held a smug look on his face while I let Swellow take the hit.

"Brave Bird," I calmly ordered.

Swellow flew up high and then flew straight at the bulky ghost type. It was sent on its back and fell unconscious. For the most part, street battlers were people who had street smarts and brawns but were rusty when it came to the finer points of Pokémon knowledge. Nobody made a sound as my partner reset itself.

"That was lucky. How about another round?" I said faking an innocent look on my face.

"At least you know it was lucky. Try Sealeo on for size!" It was a threat due to its typing, but it wasn't as bulky as its final evolution.

Burn damage started to accumulate and I went for the quick knockout. "Façade!" My opponent's eyes went wide as he realized his mistake; not like it mattered anyway.

"Aurora Beam!"

Rainbow colored streams flew from the Ball Roll Pokémon but they hardly affected mine. A loud collision at midfield had Sealeo slid across the ground before fainting. The burn took its toll and Swellow was panting heavily.

"I'll spare your next Pokémon the pain of a boosted Façade. Time to go, Magneton!" The crowd cheered in favor of me.

His face was red from a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "Torkoal, shut him up!" Not much I could do to it other than whittle it down and have someone else clean up.

"You think one fire turtle is going to stop everything I have? Magneton, Mirror Shot!"

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Both attacks collided in midair and created a small explosion with dust covering the field. "Keep firing!"

Magneton didn't any instructions to dodge the flames. However, it hovered around the field firing off Mirror Shots to force Torkoal into an area with less smoke. I was fine with the plan until it charged ahead with a Spark attack.

"No! What are you doing!?" It rammed into the fire type and my opponent was prepared.

"Flamethrower!"

A direct hit from the blast would've been an understatement. Despite the obvious type disadvantage, Magneton's Sturdy kicked in. It continued to discharge electricity until the flames were too much for it to handle. Some people in the crowd laughed at the exchange; Cecil rubbed his forehead and shook his forehead and let out a deep breath.

"Well, there goes the shutout," I sighed. I couldn't understand why Magneton did that and I knew I was lucky it happened in a relatively low-pressure situation. "But it's back to the grind for Swellow. Use Façade!"

It charged straight ahead and knocked Torkoal out before it had a chance to defend itself. Swellow winced from the burn pain again before letting it wings droop; there wasn't much more left in the tank. From what I saw, there was one Pokémon left.

"Dammit! Whiscash, get out here! Aqua Tail!"

"Façade! Don't hold back!"

Both Pokémon charged in recklessly to end the round. Swellow landed the initial hit although the whiplash caused Whiscash's tail to swing around and slam it into the ground. The flames on its body went out for good and it slowly closed its eyes. More cheering erupted as I waved to the crowd.

"Looks like you're out of Pokémon. Pay up," I demanded.

He started snickering. "Ha! You don't have any Pokémon left either! We'll call it a draw and I'll let the 'fat boy' comment go."

I let out Linoone. "You were saying something about me being out of Pokémon?" He wadded up my money and threw it over to me. "Better luck next time." I left the area to find the healing machine from my last visit.

No machine was anywhere to be found. When I asked about what happened to it, everyone told me there wasn't one anywhere in the facility. They were serious which had me even more concerned. I was told that people left when they lost since they didn't have enough healing items to go back for round two. My inventory wasn't as full as I thought when I went to check over in a corner away from the action.

Four Revives, four Super Potions, two Full Heals, one Pecha Berry, one Sitrus Berry, and one Salac Berry was all I had. Not much was needed for exploring around the city but I internally kicked myself for not stocking up on more items. After reviving Swellow and Magneton, I used one Super Potion on each of them to get them back to full strength.

"Not bad," Cecil mumbled while coming over. "That Swellow is fierce."

"Oh yeah, it's a powerhouse. I feel great knowing I can land a heavy hit anytime I want."

"You're right. Better hope you can handle steel or rock types," he said playfully. "I'm going back for a quick battle and then heading out of here. You think we'll meet again down here?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. Good to see you again!" He sprinted to get back into the mix of things while Maddie slowly followed him.

The crowd size was cut in half over the course of an hour due to long delays between battles. A lot of people were milling around trying to get a feel for a potential opponent. I saw that Maddie was asked to battle from across the room; her body language told me she wasn't interested. Her potential opponent didn't take too kindly to that.

"Come on! This place ain't for watching all night," he screamed. Cecil got in his face and a few more trainers jogged over, including myself.

"Look man, she doesn't want to battle."

He shoved Cecil. "Who asked for your opinion?" It turned into a full-blown fist fight and everyone jumped in to break up the fight. Two trainers eventually restrained them and dragged them in opposite directions.

"You good?" a bystander asked.

"Just a bloody nose," Cecil replied while checking himself over.

"Good… now leave. Quit while you're ahead. It shouldn't be too dark outside so it'll be harder for anyone from down here to sneak up on you."

He reluctantly agreed while Maddie helped him to the elevator. Despite the fit of rage I just witnessed, I wanted a battle. The worst losses I had as a gym trainer were because I didn't have a cool head. If he had money, it was worth a shot. He was still fuming when I walked over to the crowd making sure he wouldn't start another fight.

"I'll battle you. Name your price." He had a bloody nose in addition to a sizable bruise on his cheek. He was also rubbing the top of his head so I assumed he took a hard punch.

"You're not worth my time."

Prime hustling prey. "You just got your ass kicked looking for a battle and now you turn me down. Were you stupid before or after you got hit in the head?" I asked. He immediately stood up.

"Let's go. I'll put down 2,500."

A little lower than I wanted, but it was better than nothing. "Deal. Battle until one of us runs out of Pokémon?"

"Bingo." Unlike the previous battles, everyone stayed away from the field. "How about I start with Camerupt?" An interesting choice, but it was a solid one.

"Swellow, stand by!"

He took a deep breath to gather himself. "Lava Plume!"

A burn would be appreciated, but not damage. "Protect!" Flame Orb activated behind the barrier and it was time to go to town. "Façade!"

"Too easy! Rock Slide!"

Camerupt's humps spit out rocks of varying sizes. Swellow didn't mind the ones that were the size of my palm, but lost a lot of speed trying to dodge the larger ones that were close together. The hit was eventually delivered.

"Keep pounding it with Quick Attack!" I quickly ordered after seeing Camerupt struggle to get back into a position to attack.

"Don't take that shit! Lava Plume!"

"Bail out and then come back with Façade!"

Swellow's speed wasn't a concern as it dodged fireballs with ease. It doubled back to ram Camerupt in its side and didn't get back up. My opponent was beyond frustrated at how quickly I knocked out a Pokémon that could cause me problems. I got nervous when he calmed down.

"I see how it is. Skarmory and Weezing are going to take care of you! Absol, get in there too!" All three came out ready to pounce.

"Figures. He said we'd battle until one of us ran out of Pokémon," I mumbled. "You can use three and I'll just add Magneton." Everyone slowly backed up at the sight of five Pokémon out at once.

A skeptical look came over his face. "Hiding Linoone on me? Come on… get it out here."

I put up a tough front. "I don't need him to beat you."

Realistically speaking, Linoone was far behind in terms of strength and viability. Swellow's role was already defined. Magneton could dish out damage, was guaranteed to take least one hit, paralyze other Pokémon, potentially lower accuracy with Mirror Shot, lower special defense with Metal Sound, and battle on its own if it saw something I didn't.

Linoone lacked the raw power and moves to really change a battle. Battling like an asshole and using inconvenient moves like Sand Attack wasn't going to cut it anymore; scrappy fighting did only so much against raw power. I needed TM discs to make my first partner deal with stronger Pokémon more effectively.

"Your loss," my opponent said. "Skarmory, go in with Steel Wing! Weezing, Sludge Bomb! Absol, Night Slash! Take your pick!"

With the Flame Orb draining Swellow's strength, it needed to survive the initial assault. "Magneton, use Mirror Shot to keep them away! Protect Swellow from Weezing too! Swellow, fly away from Skarmory but strike when the time is right with Façade!"

It was an absolute free-for-all. Mirror Shot was fired in smaller blasts that hit Absol and Weezing while Swellow was flaying away from Skarmory. A pile of sludge was fired in retaliation although it didn't affect Magneton. Absol tried to jump at Swellow but it was sent back with another blast. For good measure, Magnet Bomb was used to keep it down.

From the air, Swellow was faster although the burn slowed it down at times. The steel bird gained ground and started to swat hoping to get in a hit. One nick was enough for Swellow to go off course. Both Pokémon eventually stopped the chase and went at it in close quarters. Magneton's attention shifted to Skarmory and it rammed into it with Spark.

Absol ran over while charging up Night Slash and Weezing continued to fire balls of poison at random. Anyone still around headed to the stairs. An uneasy feeling started to form in my stomach as the fumes from Weezing continued to fill the area. Swellow felt the same way and rammed into the poison type for the knockout; Absol cut it down before it could fly to safety. I needed more support.

"Linoone, get out here and use Sand Attack!" Dust covered my opponent's side of the field which allowed me to safely recall Swellow and reorient Magneton. "Okay Magneton, use Magnet Bomb on Absol!"

"Razor Wind!" I heard through the dust.

Little balls of metal made their way through the dust only to get blown into the walls. The wind cleared up the cloud and I saw Absol was laboring to stand. My opponent still looked determined to fight despite the odds against him so I had to bring him back to reality.

"Pin Missile!" I ordered confidently. Absol took the full force of the attack before falling for good. With no Pokémon left to defend himself, my opponent started to run away. "Linoone, knock him down with Headbutt!" He easily rammed into my opponent.

"You're out of your mind!" he yelled as Linoone jumped on him like a trampoline.

"Maybe, but you're out of Pokémon and then tried to run away. You're lucky you're just losing some money."

A wad of money was reluctantly thrown at me. "It's all there. Now… could you please get this fucking thing off me?" I recalled Linoone before throwing him a Revive and Super Potion.

"Looks like we scared everyone off. If you want to get out of here without too much trouble, you'll need these." I left the floor 5,500P richer.

The walk to the surface was what I expected it to be in terms of encounters. An occasional Voltorb rolled out in front of me so I had Linoone scare it away. Other trainers were exploring the top floors and trying to maneuver my way out without another battle was painstaking. My stomach started to hurt again and I had to sit down a few times. When I arrived outside, the sun was just setting over the horizon.

One ferry just left the docks while another was scheduled to come in 15 minutes. The pain in my stomach turned into nausea and then I violently threw up over the railing; I've never felt so sick in my life. Security was called over by an older woman.

"Sir, I'm going to sit you down. Have some water." It was a good gesture, but I didn't feel much better. The vomiting wasn't as violent, but the nausea lingered. My eyes also started to feel heavy.

"There he is," I heard two people say. "We'll take it from here." I turned to them struggling to keep my eyes open.

"Maddie? Cecil?" I mumbled.

"Ryan, what's wrong?" Maddie asked.

"Fumes. Weezing fumes," I said while coughing.

They looked at each other. "Poisoning. I'll get Chimecho out. Do you have a spare Pecha Berry?"

A scowl was on Cecil's face. "No. I have a few Sitrus Berries though."

"Unfortunately, he'd throw up before they would take effect. Chimecho should stabilize him until we get back to the mainland. I know there are some above the fridge."

Maddie's Chimecho used Heal Bell to make the pain more tolerable. Severe nausea turned into a mild stomachache, vomiting wasn't on my mind, and I didn't feel tired. They took turns rubbing my back until the ferry came.

The ride back felt like an eternity despite Chimecho's effort. Walking into the city took a lot out of me so Cecil had me drape my arm around his shoulder for support. We eventually walked into the main lobby of Mauville Heights.

"Partying hard already?" the receptionist asked.

"I'll sign him in. My boyfriend needs to take him to our room before he gets sick."

People out in the open were curious to see me stumble into the elevator and down the hallway to their apartment. Cecil sat me down then gave me a Pecha Berry. One bite snapped me back to reality; all the discomfort went away.

"Feel better?"

I wiped my eyes. "Well, I don't feel like death anymore."

"Good. I suggest you go to the bathroom because not all of it is out of your system." A rumbling in my stomach was a good indicator of things to come.

"Gotcha."

The pain came back for another round before I vomited again. When it was out of my system for good, I walked back to the living room. Maddie was looking through a thick textbook while Cecil had the television on. They turned to me with a relived look on their faces.

"All better?" she asked softly.

"Finally back to normal although I'm a little tired. How'd you know what to do?" Cecil turned off the television.

"We're studying to be doctors. Luckily, your condition was simple and we've seen it before."

I peeked over at Maddie's book. "Come to think of it, I could've sprayed a Full Heal on myself."

She slowly turned her head to me. "Every doctor and nurse wished it worked like that. Those medicines work wonders for Pokémon but are volatile to humans when ingested. Luckily, berries don't harm us." We sat in silence while I digested everything.

"Thank you for your help… but I have to wonder why you guys were down there or why you stayed on the island after you left the facility. Not to sound rude, but people living in Mauville Hills don't usually bother with underground battling."

"Well, we owed you one," Cecil said. "Second, we benefit from going down there. Every trip down is a chance to earn more money and to see medical examples in action."

"Don't you guys have an internship or a job to learn about injuries?" They looked at each other and laughed.

"Doing office work at the Pokémon Center three days a week isn't much of a job. I think we're going to an observation room soon, but going to New Mauville is a nice substitute for field experience until we start being more involved," Cecil replied.

Maddie showed me the book. "Medicine is an expensive field to get into. Between books, fees for conferences, schooling, and certain supplies, debt racks up quickly."

"And yet you two live in Mauville Hills of all places? Are you guys sure a 'bad' job here is worth it?"

"Excuse us for a minute." They went to a bedroom mumbling about something.

I started to feel bad about asking personal questions. They waited for me to come out of the facility and took care of me; I think my parents would chew me out if they heard about this. I started to doze off until they came back out.

"Can you keep a secret?" Maddie asked.

"Yes."

"We're not from Mauville. Our parents have been paying for the apartment and some other expenses for the past year. While they know we are moving up the ladder, they don't know about the battling we do. I don't want to think about what would happen if they found out." I smirked internally; the city atmosphere claims two more victims.

"Where do your parents live?"

"Fallarbor Town. Well, in the mountains outside of town." I looked Maddie over and she was nervous about revealing such personal information.

"Don't worry, I haven't travelled that far north and don't intend to in the near future. Fallarbor doesn't even have a gym." We sat silently until I felt comfortable to leave. "Look, thanks for everything. You guys probably know how chaotic it can get, but please be careful if you go again. Don't get too greedy."

"Come on… we're only 24. We've got the rest of our lives to battle in a dark room for money," Cecil joked. "But seriously, thank you for the advice. We shouldn't have to go back anytime soon because of tonight's haul."

"Whatever works for you guys. Hopefully I'll see you around other parts of the city!" I left their apartment before heading north to the Pokémon Center to heal my team.

Nurse Joy healed everyone without a fuss and I spent a little time at the computer looking up Pokémon. The national dex was easier to maneuver through so I worked with it instead of each region's individual Pokédex. I had notes on Charmander through Gengar except Pokémon that were already in Hoenn; I had time for Onix through Hitmonchan and then left at 9:30pm.

Pokémon Services was open although the receptionist was the only person in the lobby. She took Swellow back and then called it out to check on it. Once she was done with her inspection, I told her to mention even more money would be in the account. They were going to get 2,000P and I would keep the rest. After all the shit I went through, I deserved a bigger piece of the pie.

A few people were hanging out on street corners on the way back to my house as if they were going to gang up on some unsuspecting passerby. Their murmuring stopped when I shot them a dirty look and grabbed Linoone's Poké Ball. After worrying about those types of people growing up, it was nice to have the power to make them think twice about mugging me.

The lights were off when I unlocked the door which was a bit of a surprise. Mom usually went to bed at midnight, dad was at work, and my siblings usually were in their rooms doing something. I felt uneasy eating dinner with just Linoone; going from a lively environment to solitude was something I'd have to get used to if I kept working late nights.

"Great job today, Linoone. We're slowly on the road to Ever Grande City and today was our biggest step yet. We'll take it easy the next few days before the intermediate tournament. According to management, we have five badges." My partner quietly cheered before we went up to bed.

I went to my bank located in the center of the city the next morning to deposit my winnings. To avoid any drama, I dressed up but left the suit and tie at home. I also took a notebook and pen in case anything was off. A teller took my deposit slips and was wary of how much I was putting in.

"It can be risky for you to carry this much money anywhere you go. If you get paid in cash, you can set up direct deposit with the company who is paying you."

My heart skipped a beat. "This was a gift." The teller was genuine in her nodding. "I'll consider it since I battle over at Lostelle's and their payouts for tournaments can be big."

"Ah! I see. Anything else I can do for you?"

"Yeah. Could I get a check on my company account? I'm curious to see how much is in there."

"Of course." After tapping away on the keyboard, the screen was turned to me. "You added 2,000P just now so that will bring your total to 3,500." Damn… I've never seen that much money move that fast. Then again, moving supplies overseas probably isn't cheap.

"Thank you. I'm all set. I've got some homework to do."

The Pokémon Center had a few trainers inside but it only took one at the computer to change my mind. I wasn't in the mood to wait around or didn't want to be disturbed when looking up Pokémon data; the gym was a better option. I walked over feeling at ease since I wasn't asking for a battle. There was a notification above the door that a gym battle was taking place.

"Welcome to the Mauville Gym! How may I help you?" a woman at the front desk asked.

"Can I borrow your encyclopedia on Pokémon?"

"Which one?"

"Huh?"

She pulled out a sheet of paper. "Which volume do you want?" I felt like an idiot for thinking that just one book held information on every recorded Pokémon.

"Volume one. Do I bring it back or can I look at it here?"

"There's a small room down the hall with a table and some chairs. Bring it back when you're done."

I set up my area and went to work.

* * *

Studying up on Pokémon for the next week was more beneficial than battling. I would go to the Pokémon Center late at night and stay online for two to three hours taking notes. If I felt like doing it during the day, I'd head over to the gym. There was no easy way to keep track of every piece of information for a Pokémon, but their name, typing, abilities, common moves, and move to cover weaknesses were good starting points. I conceded that most TMs would throw off my game. Going from Hitmonchan to Mew during that span was exhausting to say the least.

Lostelle's published an updated and confirmed tournament schedule the morning of the intermediate tournament. Any tournament ran by them required a 500 or 1,000P fee, depending on the tournament; I needed to talk about getting reimbursed. An advanced level one was a week later followed by a monotype format two weeks later then a double battle style one month later. Most tournaments were during the day which was probably better for everyone involved. I know I didn't want to battle at 2:30 in the morning. Then things started to get weird later in the year.

Roulette battles had trainers picking foam balls out of a pit with numbers and the number would correspond with a predetermined Pokémon. Luckily, there was a hard cap on the number of participants. Another odd one was a random partner doubles. Another participant would be paired with me at random, we'd duke it out with other pairs, and split the prize money. One more that caught my eye was a four-way free-for-all where nobody was safe. How fun would it be to use Earthquake and win in seconds?

Pokémon Services had all their materials and was a day or two away from the grand opening when I walked in around noon. The receptionist gave me a revised list of Pokémon although there was only change. Instead of a Wailmer, I had Sharpedo for my water option.

Rough Skin for the ability with Aqua Jet, Crunch, Poison Fang, and Ice Fang. With a Life Orb as the hold item, it could pack a punch. It was a significant improvement and I was happy my boss made the switch.

"I'd like Sharpedo, Lairon, and Camerupt this time."

As much as I wanted Swellow, a constant burn could cost me in a close battle with more skilled trainers. Sharpedo didn't really need a Life Orb to make it viable; it was more to show off. It also had a more diverse set of moves and could attack any type whereas Swellow has two glaring weaknesses: rock and steel. Camerupt could keep grass types in check and Lairon could hopefully gain more trust in me.

A worker swiped my game card to reserve my spot in the intermediate tournament. More trainers entered than last time so the bracket took some time to work on. Unlike last time where everyone was seeded by skill, the seeding was random. From what we were told, the final count was 56; trainers given seeds 1 to 8 had a bye for the first round.

"Attention trainers! Please be advised that you may roam around the game corner between battles. You may also change your team at will. Failure to arrive at the green room on time will result in a forfeit. Best of luck in the tournament. We'll have the bracket out shortly," Lostelle announced before walking to her viewing area. I decided to look around at the competition.

Most trainers were my age although a few trainers in their mid-teens handled themselves well. I didn't ask for badges since I would tip my hand, but I saw most people had four or five badges. Most trainers had two or three badges when they came to Mauville's gym so these guys were a step above. Luckily for me, I kept up with the crowd thanks to rental Pokémon.

"The bracket's up! We've got two copies," a stagehand yelled.

Everyone rushed over to find their matchup, but I wanted to know what seed I was. With the competition being closer than the beginner's tournament, a bye would go a long way. I eventually found my name and dragged my finger over to my number.

"Five… nice," I whispered with a smile knowing I had a bye. I analyzed the whole piece of paper to find potential start times but ended up being drawn to the top of the paper. The payout was 50,000P for first place, 10,000 for second, and 5,000 for third.

The kid gloves were coming off.


	9. Helping Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

There was a massive difference in the teams used for the intermediate tournament. Most Pokémon were fully evolved and could cover their teammate's weaknesses well. A few teams were based around pure offence, but the dominant team style was balanced. Allowing participants to roam around made battles harder to plan for since a team could be changed in minutes. I doubt that I could go to Pokémon Services and ask for a change so I had to bluff switching my team by going to a computer between rounds. I was ready to go when my number was called.

My opponent was a father in his early thirties which was a nice change of pace although very odd. I pictured how my dad would handle travelling Hoenn collecting badges and laughed softly. We played it cool until he offered his hand.

"How are you doing? Name's Richard."

I shook it. "Ryan. So, where are you from?"

"Lilycove. Took the day off from the docks to come here."

"That's a long way to travel."

He smiled. "Only if you're on foot. And you?"

"I'm a local."

"You have an advantage," he joked. "Teleporting across the region can do a number on you." We continued the small talk until we were escorted out to the field.

The arena was about half full which was an improvement over the last tournament. A crew was on standby to fix the field in case things got too rough. Lostelle wasn't in her usual spot to watch; maybe she didn't want to see me battle after the attitude I gave her last time we met. The referee took her place.

"Welcome to the second round of the tournament. As a refresher, this will be a three on three battle with substitutions. The battle is over when all three Pokémon on one side are declared unable to battle. A draw means both of you are eliminated. Wait for my cue to start attacking and good luck."

Richard reached for his belt first. "Here we go Xatu!" The psychic bird materialized and eerily stood still.

"Lairon, let's go!" He was happier than last time I had him.

"We have Lairon versus Xatu. Battle!"

"Okay Xatu, use Ominous Wind!" I thought he would've switched.

A purple whirlwind swept across the field and encompassed my side. Lairon kept his head down to minimize the damage until the attack died down; Xatu's body glowed shortly after. That was something I didn't want to see.

"Iron Tail!" Lairon charged ahead, but Xatu remained calm.

"Confuse Ray!" Richard ordered.

Its eyes flashed red and Lairon stopped in its tracks. After looking around aimlessly, he continued to run ahead to deliver the hit. The move caught them by surprise and Xatu was wobbling around wondering what just happened.

"Break though confusion and use Rock Slide!" I yelled, hoping I could get through to him.

It seemed to work until everyone saw how inaccurate the attack was. Being disoriented from Confuse Ray caused the rocks to go into the side wall. Despite the embarrassing scene, it was better than in running into the wall.

"Take advantage with Calm Mind!" Xatu closed its eyes and stood still for what felt like minutes. When its eyes opened, it turned around. "Now use Baton Pass!" I scratched my head. Baton Pass was a niche attack usually used by Ninjask, Huntail, or Gorebyss.

Natu and Xatu didn't learn that move in any region as far as I knew. I couldn't deny it after it retreated to its ball. Richard sent out an aggressive Raichu in its place. With boosts from Ominous Wind and Calm Mind, staying in was a bad idea.

"Return! Camerupt, come on out!"

Using a Camerupt was a new experience for me. I remembered its information sheet when I first saw it and it was an odd Pokémon. An Assault Vest was fitted around its humps to probably deal with special water attacks along with its ability, Solid Rock. I understood what the company was going for, but a strong water Pokémon wouldn't have a problem with it. Lava Plume, Earth Power, Rock Slide, and Earthquake would still put a dent in the bulkiest Pokémon.

"Camerupt versus Raichu. Go!" the referee said after they got set. Richard immediately reached for his belt and went back to Xatu. "Okay then, Camerupt versus Xatu."

He looked over Camerupt before making a move. "Ominous Wind!"

"Put your head down!" The whirlwind was more like a windy day at the beach in the eyes of my heavy partner until it died down. "Lava Plume!"

"Psychic!"

Fireballs came out of its humps as Xatu worked to move them aside. Unfortunately for Richard, Camerupt kept launching them. One grazed its wing and caused a burn. Xatu glowed then Camerupt started to, but nothing happened. Making the switch saved me a lot of trouble.

"Synchronize is a good ability, but you can't burn a fire type," I casually stated. "Finish the round with Rock Slide!"

Neither of them expected a rock move on a fire and ground Pokémon. The hits from earlier combined with the burn proved to be too much for Xatu; only one rock was set aside before more rained down on top of it. Our referee had to inspect the pile to make her decision.

"Xatu is unable to battle. Camerupt wins!" Some people in the crowd told Richard to shrug off the loss while others cheered about the overall performance.

"You're the first person to have a ground type to stop that combination. Can't win 'em all, I guess," he said. "Raichu would be a poor choice so how about Banette?" A mischievous smile came from the ghost type; I kept Camerupt in.

"Camerupt versus Banette. Go!"

I wanted the first move. "Earthquake!"

Richard wasn't concerned. "Sucker Punch!"

Banette bolted over in front of my Pokémon causing it to stop. A dark aura covered its arms before it threw a punch that hit Camerupt square in the cheek. He shook it off and knocked Banette to the ground so Earthquake would bury it underground.

"Fire Shadow Ball to break free!" Richard screamed.

Multiple shots were shot through the ground to loosen it. Banette emerged looking irritated and kept firing to let out some frustration. Dodging was pointless since the Assault Vest would limit the damage and Camerupt didn't have anywhere to run to. I saw my partner start to breathe heavily after the barrage ended.

Keeping Camerupt in wasn't the right choice. "Take a break! Lairon, you're up!"

"Lairon versus Banette," the referee announced unemphatically.

"A steel type? Not a problem. Banette, Night Shade!" Black beams came from its eyes.

"Rock Slide to protect yourself!" The move was aimed at getting the ghost type to move around while making the beams hit the rocks. "Iron Head!" Lairon plowed through any leftover rocks on the way to delivering a knockout blow.

"Banette is unable to battle. Lairon wins!"

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" He looked back at me and smiled. A small glow covered his body only to fade away a few seconds later; he went back to being frustrated.

"Looks like Raichu is all I can use now. Here we go!"

I went back out to Camerupt. "I think you have a trick up your sleeve. Otherwise, this'll be over in a second."

"Camerupt versus Raichu. Begin!" Richard looked confident despite his position.

"Hidden Power!" Of course, the one move that could turn a disadvantage into an advantage was used against me.

"Earth Power!"

Raichu sent a dozen small orbs Camerupt's way as it went to attack. Each orb exploded and pockets of water came out. The onslaught distracted Camerupt from attacking then another round was fired at my worn-down partner. Not even the Assault Vest could offer enough protection.

"Camerupt is unable to battle. Raichu wins!" I couldn't believe those words were uttered, but Hidden Power of the water variety would throw a wrench into any trainer's plans. I was no exception.

Magneton could tire it out for Lairon although it would have a tough time winning on its own. Linoone could be a nuisance before getting in a few hits. Sharpedo wouldn't take an electric attack very well. Lairon was weakened from earlier; the choice was obvious.

"Linoone, I need some help!" He was amped up to be under the bright lights.

"Here we go! Linoone versus Raichu," our referee said.

"Quick, use Sand Attack!" Linoone dug as fast he could to create a thick dust cloud.

Richard tried to look past the cloud. "Thunderbolt!"

The attack didn't hit, but it didn't miss by much. "Jump and use Pin Missile!"

Needles found their target and Raichu responded. A Thunderbolt was shot back in response which had Linoone staggering. I had my hand by my belt.

"Sand Attack again!" He scooped up some dirt and threw it directly in Raichu's eyes. "Perfect! Now let Lairon take over!" The quick substitution wasn't quick enough for the referee as she gave her cadence.

"Come on Raichu! Try Hidden Power above your head!"

"Double-Edge!"

Lairon charged ahead while Raichu was rubbing its eyes out from the makeshift rainstorm. Raichu should've kept rubbing because the look on its face was that of fear. Not only was Lairon running at full speed, it jumped once it felt close enough and nailed the electric type into the ground.

"Get it off with Hidden Power!" Raichu spit out balls of water at Lairon's face.

"Iron Head!" My partner let out a roar and flung his head back. The collision was more violent than I wanted, but the result was the same.

"Raichu is unable to battle. Lairon wins! This match is over!" We were quickly escorted back to the green room so the repair crew could do their job.

Most of the remaining trainers were roaming the gaming floors so I felt like I could talk to Richard with some privacy. He didn't look too upset about losing which made approaching him a lot easier.

"Hey Richard, I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"How do you have a Xatu that knows Baton Pass? I'm not mad, just curious."

His demeanor turned serious. "My Xatu isn't a normal one. It came over on a ship as a Natu from somewhere called Orre years ago when I was a rookie trainer." That got my attention.

"What made it different?"

"Well, any Pokémon shipped overseas had to be inspected for health reasons once the ship was in port. It came with a Gulpin, Seedot, Numel, and Voltorb. They had no paperwork and were  _very_ hostile which was odd. Natu would peck at anything that tried to touch it or would screech to keep everyone away. Instead of sending it back, I decided to take it in since Raichu could keep it in line. I think some other workers took in the rest."

I digested everything before continuing. "How did that go?"

He laughed. "It was a stubborn little thing; it would just recklessly ram into things in battles. At home, it would perch itself on a shelf and sit there all day unless I had food. Over time, Natu started to calm down. Then it entered this weird stage where it didn't seem to get any stronger."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I can't explain it to you other than that. It wouldn't evolve despite the dozens of battles we had."

Richard's story was starting to lose even more steam. "Then how did it evolve?"

"This'll sound weird, but I couldn't make this up if I tried." He took a deep breath. "A small, green Pokémon came up to me when I was working in my backyard. It urged me to go inside and call out Natu. Then it started to fly around the apartment until a green light filled the room. My Pokédex was going haywire asking me what moves it wanted to learn and once I was done with that, Natu evolved. It's been much happier since that day. I didn't know if that happened with my coworkers because I didn't want to ask."

I sat there completely stunned. Should I have been concerned about any of that? How does a Pokémon battle that much and not evolve? What about that green Pokémon? I had more questions, but he didn't sound like he had any answers.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"Yup. Now I have a question for you."

"Go for it."

"Can you tell me how I did? My wife isn't big on battling and my kids are too young to understand it. Do I actually have a shot at the Hoenn League?"

Nobody has ever asked me for genuine advice before. A lot of trainers will either do research on their own, reject advice from others, keep using the same strategy, or will completely redo their team on a whim. I started with an obvious talking point.

"Your Raichu knowing the water variant of Hidden Power will bail you out of tough situations. Surprising your opponents with that can blow the battle wide open depending on what Pokémon are left on the other side. The key is not to let type advantage dictate a battle all the time."

Richard gave me a confused look. "I don't follow."

"Lairon's typing is steel and rock. Despite its weakness to water, Thunderbolt is a stronger attack than Hidden Power." He shook his head with a straight face still looking confused. "Put it this way: save Hidden Power for ground types or as an absolute last resort."

"Makes sense," he said while shrugging his shoulders. "Anything else?"

"Just be careful when trying to pass off boosts from Calm Mind or Ominous Wind. Xatu isn't exactly a bulky Pokémon. Everything else looked good."

"I'll think about that when I get home. Come on out, Natu!" The tiny bird perched itself on the shoulders of its trainer.

"Teleporting so soon?"

"Yeah. My wife let me borrow her Natu to get here. I'd like to get back before it gets too homesick; it's been in our house for only two weeks. Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

I sat down, closed my eyes, and waited for my next battle.

* * *

The battles got even tighter as the tournament went on. Even 3-0 or 2-0 wins were closer than the box score; every remaining Pokémon was weakened to some degree. One match that ended in a draw which caused both trainers to be eliminated; seeing their reactions made for a good laugh.

My third-round matchup was a 2-0 win with Camerupt falling to a Vigoroth, but was avenged by Magneton. Sharpedo finished the job taking out a Seaking and a Crawdaunt with its raw power. The quarterfinal battle was a 1-0 victory. Linoone battled a Pinsir to a draw, Lairon won against a Grumpig but lost to Aqua Tail from a Gyarados. Between Sharpedo and Magneton, I had to go with Sharpedo.

Rough Skin gave Gyarados problems since all four of its attacks made contact and Sharpedo resisted three of its attacks. A quadruple weakness to electricity was overshadowed by the lack of Magneton's overall strength. Spark wouldn't have been enough to get an instant knockout and it wouldn't have lasted too long.

The semifinal matchup was another 1-0 win although it was a lot tighter. Magneton was knocked out by a Grimer that had Mud Bomb after using Pound to break Sturdy; I internally kicked myself after not seeing my opponent switch. I went to Camerupt before a Machoke took Grimer's place; they traded hits until Camerupt got the win. Then it got dicey when Swampert came out.

I had no choice but to let Camerupt take a Muddy Water attack so I could let Sharpedo clean up. Its superior speed made dodging one Rock Slide and getting off a Crunch possible. Another Mud Bomb was sent Sharpedo's way but Aqua Jet helped it dodge the already inaccurate attack. I got a little help from Poison Fang and a poisoned Swampert was easier to defeat. Grimer didn't stand much of a chance and I held on for the win. There was an hour break before the finals so I walked around the gaming floor on the trainer side to clear my head.

A roulette wheel for coins consisted of purple, green, and yellow for colors. Faces of Skitty, Wynaut, Makuhita, and Azurill replaced the numbers; the betting table only had 12 squares. The table had three rows organized by color and four columns organized by Pokémon. Compared to a traditional roulette, this one was much easier to win. There was a screen above the table indicating the last 20 spin results. Two policies changed since the reopening: a bet could be from 1 to 100 coins per play and the wheel would reset every time instead of after every six balls. I put up 1,000P to get 50 coins to kill some time.

"Place your bets everyone," an employee said after clearing the table.

"Excuse me, but what are the payouts?" I asked.

He pulled out a miniature diagram of the table. "Odds are 12:1 for one square, 4:1 if you picked a column of Pokémon, and 3:1 if you picked an entire color row. You may only place one bet per spin on these tables with those three options." Of course… need to limit the damage otherwise everyone would bet on every square.

"I'll put five coins on Skitty."

"You need to be more specific. Do you want one square or all three Skitty squares?"

"Just the purple Skitty square."

"You got it. I'll toss the ball in after a few minutes so sit tight." He did so after a few new players placed their bets. "Green Makuhita." He cleared the table as the result flashed. I took a closer look and saw that 13 of the last 20 spins had a yellow Pokémon.

"Give me 20 on the yellow row," I said confidently.

We waited until the ball fell into a groove. "Purple Wynaut." Fuck me.

Despite having better odds than a roulette on the casino side, I never seemed to catch a break. I went from guessing colors only to guessing Pokémon only and then started betting on individual squares to get rid of my coins. The only win I had was betting five coins on a column of Azurill. I concluded that a traditional roulette wheel was a better investment as I went back to the green room to see the other finalist.

She was my age, had a team of six, was well-dressed, and took an immediate interest in me. The company badge was like a magnet for her eyes. After some awkward silence, she reached into her bag and pulled out a lanyard with a neon blue card.

"Looks like you're the new fundraising specialist," she said. "Ryan, I think?"

"Yup. Unless someone else got hired. Who are you?"

"Jen. I  _was_  the lowest person on the totem pole until you signed on," she said with a smile. "I liked how I got a new badge after my promotion. I was never a fan of the orange badge."

The mood changed in a heartbeat. On one hand, I was going against someone who probably had better Pokémon from the company. Even if that was the case, she couldn't have been  _that_  much better than me as a trainer since she was only one rank above me. The other side was that the company was going to get money regardless of who won.

We were escorted to the field as soon as the field was in good condition. The atmosphere was the most electric I've ever seen in the stands. Only a handful of seats were empty and Lostelle was in her spot to take it in. Our referee called us to the middle.

"We've updated the rules for the championship battle since the last tournament. If there's a tie, then you will have a one on one battle with a Pokémon that was not used in regulation. If there's a tie after that, then we'll keep going until someone wins. The field will be cleared and fixed before overtime. A coin flip will determine the options."

"Who has what side?" I asked.

"Heads is for you, tails is for your opponent." The coin landed on tails. "Okay ma'am, you can choose to send out your Pokémon first  _and_  get the first attack or send out your Pokémon second. Once the battle gets going, you can both do as you please. The opposite will happen if we go to overtime."

She didn't take long to choose. "I want to go second."

"Very well. Go to your boxes."

I reached for my belt when we were set. "Magneton, you're up!"

"Cacturne!"

Very odd choice considering neither of our Pokémon could win the battle in one or two moves. Then again, she could be trying to draw out Camerupt thus limiting my options for my third Pokémon. Maybe she had a fire or ground variant of Hidden Power. Sturdy wasn't broken so I could scout what she wanted to do.

"Magneton versus Cacturne. Battle!"

"Alright Magneton, use Magnet Bomb!"

"Sucker Punch!" Jen ordered just after I finished.

Cacturne jumped high in the air before landing behind Magneton. Its spiny arm swung into my partner's back to send it to the ground. Tiny balls formed in the air and collided with the cactus Pokémon in retaliation, but Magneton looked like it took the harder hit.

"You know what to do, Cacturne!" she yelled with a smirk.

She wasn't going to get me twice in a row. "Metal Sound!"

Cacturne put on repeat performance only to see Magneton move out of the way. A screech echoed throughout the field forcing everyone to cover their ears. Cacturne had to look back at Jen for orders.

"Spikes!" Now I knew why she chose it as a lead.

"Mirror Shot!"

Light gathered in front of Magneton before it was sent across the field. Cacturne had scattered its spikes before taking the direct hit. It struggled to get up until it collapsed.

"Cacturne is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

I won the round, but that one layer of spikes was a problem. Every substitution would hurt my incoming Pokémon and I couldn't do a thing about it. Jen didn't seem concerned about the situation.

"Not bad… you limited the damage to the field and you own Pokémon. I can see why you were hired. Now it's time to get serious. Lanturn, get out here!" I took a risk and kept Magneton in.

"Magneton versus Lantrun. Go!"

Jen didn't wait around. "Bubble Beam!"

"Quick, Mirror Shot to defend yourself!" The beam colliding with bubbles caused a small explosion, but they kept coming and Magneton was sent back. There was a thin layer of smoke and I saw Lanturn had its guard down. "Charge in with Spark!" Electricity surrounded my Pokémon, but the attack had no effect.

"Bubble Beam!" The close-ranged attack couldn't be dodged.

"Magneton is unable to battle. Lanturn wins!"

It took every ounce of willpower to keep my frustration in. No Pokémon on my team matched up well against a Lanturn of all things. I had one option, but I had to be smart about it.

"I was hoping you didn't have Volt Absorb on that thing," I said.

She smiled. "Beats Illuminate." I waited for her to mention Water Absorb, but it never came. Either she didn't care or she didn't know about its third ability; more reason for Pokémon Services to keep me employed.

"You're right. Too bad my next Pokémon doesn't have any electric attacks. Go Linoone!" It looked back at me then snarled at my opponent after landing on a spike.

"Linoone versus Lanturn. Battle!"

"Now that you know where the spikes are, use Sand Attack!" He dug furiously trying to blind Lanturn.

"Turn away and use Discharge!"

Lanturn tried to cover its eye while turning away. A burst of electricity was then fired haphazardly which ended up hitting Linoone. I saw it try to rub its eyes out so I knew some sand got in.

"Confuse Ray!" Jen ordered. The yellow ball on its head started to glow.

"Don't look at it, Linoone!" When Lanturn saw it wasn't taking the bait, the glowing turned into a ball of energy that was fired at my partner. It wasn't even close. "Headbutt!" Lanturn still had its eyes shut and didn't see it coming.

"I saw your first battle. Lanturn, fire a soft Bubble Beam at the ground then lean down!"

Unlike the usual explosions, a weaker attack created a mist for every bubble that hit the ground. After a few bubbles popped, it started wiping its eyes again. Linoone thought about running in for an attack until it was clear that Lanturn could see.

"Try Confuse Ray again!" Linoone got hit with a ball of light and it started to stumble around the field. Going in close was dangerous.

"Pin Missile!" It struggled to stay straight, but managed to fire off five separate rounds. The first three hit then Lanturn dodged the last two. It wasn't worth keeping him in after I saw how much hard he was panting. "Return! Sharpedo, you're up!"

I didn't have much of a choice. Camerupt was too risky even with an Assault Vest, Lairon would probably lose over time, and Linoone could still cause Jen problems. Sharpedo's raw power could get the job done even if it was weak to electric attacks. She still had one Pokémon left as well.

"What are you planning?" she asked rhetorically.

"You'll see," I said with a smirk. It was a terrible bluff considering Sharpedo's underbelly was scraped by some spikes after it got settled in.

"Sharpedo versus Lanturn. Begin!"

She went for the obvious move. "Discharge!"

"Aqua Jet into Crunch!"

A more concentrated stream of electricity was fired at Sharpedo, but it managed to evade most of it with Aqua Jet. Some sparks got caught in the Aqua Jet stream and shocked my Pokémon. Crunch dealt a knockout blow before Lantrun could zap it from close range.

"Lanturn is unable to battle. Sharpedo wins!"

Our battle was turning out to be like every other battle this tournament; down to the wire. With any luck, Sharpedo would threaten Jen's next Pokémon with type advantage or be stronger overall. The one layer of spikes was a problem if I needed to switch again. She kept a stone face as she made her last choice.

"I don't know about you, but I didn't need extra help for this fight," she said with a hint of pride and a wink. I immediately realized she didn't take any rental Pokémon. "All the way from Littleroot Town, here's Sceptile!"

Not what I wanted to see, but it could've been worse. Ice Fang, Poison Fang, Crunch, and Rough Skin was going to cause problems. If Sharpedo went down, Linoone was my last line of defense and he needed to perform a miracle to win on his own. I mentally ran through a list and came up with the best option.

"Sharpedo, return! Linoone, I need some help!" It materialized on a spike then blew on its paw. "Sorry buddy, I can't get rid of those things."

"Linoone versus Sceptile. Go!"

Time to do what we do best: be annoying. "Sand Attack!"

"Oh please… Detect!" Jen moaned. Sceptile predicted where piles of sand would be kicked and adjusted accordingly.

"Try Baby-Doll Eyes!"

"Detect again!"

Sceptile's Detect failed as it became focused on my normal type partner. Linoone did a good acting job by putting its paws together and pretending to whimper. It apparently saw that Sceptile lowered it guard and went for a cheap Headbutt on his own.

Jen took a deep breath. "You're piece of shit, you know that? Does battling dirty make you feel good?" she said with her hands on her hips.

"You can take the Pokémon out of the alley, but you can't take the alley out of the Pokémon," I replied after shrugging my shoulders. "Pin Missile!"

"Leaf Blade!"

Sceptile moved too fast for Pin Missile to hit, so Linoone kicked up one chunk of sand before he took a direct hit. Unless it had a water attack, that sand in the eyes was going to be an issue for the rest of the battle. Sharpedo's job got a little bit easier.

"Linoone is unable to battle. Sceptile wins!"

Jen looked like she was a step above angry. She looked like my mom when Zigzagoon ripped apart the pillows on our living room couch. If there weren't hundreds of people watching, she'd probably try to fight me after the battle. The crowd was getting into it after the scoreboard updated.

"Come on… don't give me that look. Aren't you having a good time? I know I am," I casually said while smiling.

"For fuck's sake, send out Sharpedo," she moaned.

"I take it we're not getting food after this? Maybe some drinks?"

"Just go!"

"Fine, fine. Here we go, Sharpedo!" Its bottom fin was punctured before it tossed them aside.

The referee composed herself. "Last round! Sharpedo versus Sceptile. Begin!"

Neither of us wanted to make the first move. Even though Sceptile was rubbing its eyes out, it could still defend itself if I ordered an attack. Detect was another option that I had to deal with. I eventually caved in seeing as she wasn't going to rush in anytime soon.

"Poison Fang!" Sharpedo propelled itself forward with purple fangs on full display.

"Detect!" Just like last time, the grass type easily dodged the potentially deadly move with its eyes closed. "Mega Drain!" Its tail dug into the ground and vines eventually broke through the field on my side. Sharpedo was covered in vines and started losing strength immediately.

"Ice Fang! You have to bite the vines!" It struggled until it had more wiggle room to bite down. The bite caused the vines to freeze; Sceptile pulled its tail out of the ground once it felt the ice start to form. "You have to hang in there! Poison Fang!"

Jen wasn't content on dodging. "Leaf Blade!"

Both Pokémon rushed ahead trying to land the heaviest hit. Jen's Pokémon opened its eyes and swung first only to miss. Mine clamped down on its arm forcing Sceptile to wildly swing at it. Sharpedo let go and the damage was more than I thought. Cuts from Rough Skin were visible and I knew her partner was poisoned by how it staggered in place while panting. Unfortunately, Sharpedo looked exhausted too. Through it all, they were on the edge of the field.

"Aqua Jet! Ram that thing into the wall!"

"Dual Chop!"

Sharpedo charged too fast for it to be fought off completely. Covered in water, it rammed the grass type into the wall and kept digging in. A well-placed Dual Chop while it was getting rammed made Sharpedo stop. Jen's Pokémon collapsed from poison once it walked back to the field; I heard a grunt shortly afterward. The crowd roared to life and I took my victory wave.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. We're going to overtime!"

I turned around then I lost my mind. "What!? Are you kidding me!? What kind of shit was that?" To the referee's credit, she kept calm.

"Sir, your Pokémon fainted immediately after hers did. Had it stayed up longer, you would've gotten the win." I looked over to see Sharpedo unconscious on its side.

"Now what?"

"As I said earlier, the field will be cleared." She turned to Jen. "You went second at the start of the battle. Now you send out your Pokémon first." She took it better than I would have. The crowd dulled once an intermission was announced.

We were escorted behind the referee wall as the cleaning crew went to work. Rapid Spin from a Baltoy scattered the spikes into the back wall which were carefully picked out. Seeing the hole being patched up reminded me of working at the gym; I quickly refocused after thinking about the fight with Shawn. Everyone stood up when Jen reached for her belt.

"I'm looking to end this here. Kadabra, I choose you!"

She was confident in her decision, but it wasn't a good one against me. I had a Pokémon that resisted psychic attacks and could hit like a truck. Even the most defensive oriented Kadabra wouldn't take a hit too well.

"Lairon!"

The flags went up. "Lairon versus Kadabra. Battle!"

"Psybeam!" A rainbow-colored beam came from both spoons. Lairon put his head down and shrugged off the hit.

"Rock Slide!" He repeatedly stomped the ground to send rock chunks flying.

Jen's eyes went wide. "Psychic!"

Kadabra managed to toss the larger ones aside to minimize the damage. A few medium sized ones hit it in the chest, but it stood tall. I was willing to take a risk after the rocks settled.

"Charge in with Iron Head!"

"Hold it in place!"

Lairon was suspended in the air and he was upset; I didn't have to tell him to wiggle around. The strain of a heavy steel type struggling to break free became apparent to everyone. Kadabra was forced to let go when it went down on one knee.

"Iron Tail!" It had a free run to the psychic type.

Its tail shined brightly as Kadabra crossed its arms above its head to defend itself. Jen's Pokémon took the full brunt of the assault. For good measure, Lairon used Double-Edge to make sure it stayed down. I pumped my fist as soon as the flag went up.

"Kadabra is unable to battle. Lairon wins! The winner is the number five seed, Ryan!" Jen left the field in disgust, but I didn't care.

The ceremony was the same as the last tournament except I wasn't interrogated. Lostelle denied me entry into the advanced tournament despite my performance; I didn't complain. Unless I got a stronger lineup, I wasn't going to make a deep run. There were also five other trainers at the advanced level. I held onto the 50,000P check and healed everyone before going to the buffet line.

"Fantastic battling today! Eat until you're full and then maybe eat some more."

They were more sociable than my last group while they ate. Linoone climbed into my lap, Camerupt nudged me so I pet him and Magneton happily hovered in circles. Sharpedo wanted to be pet too so I stroked between the eyes very carefully; it was like rubbing coarse sandpaper. Lairon came over looking forlorn after everyone else went back to eating.

"What's wrong Lairon? You did great today!" It showed me its back. "Let me see." No lingering cuts or bruises were there, but I saw a flat rock sticking out. From underneath the steel on its spine. "So that's where your Everstone is… oh! You wanted to evolve earlier today, didn't you?" It nodded.

I wasn't sure what would happen to me if I messed with the hold items. I'd probably get an earful, but I shuddered at the thought of bringing back an Aggron. There had to be a reason why Lairon wasn't allowed to evolve. My boss didn't seem like the type of guy to listen to a request from a new hire even though he owed me one more favor.

"I don't know what to do, Lairon. If I complain, I might get fired." He sulked. "What if I kept picking you for my team?" His head perked up then he nodded furiously. "It's not the perfect solution, but it's a start." We sat around until everyone was ready to go.

Pokémon Services looked fully furnished when I walked in the lobby. The receptionist threw me curveball by telling me Mister V wanted me to go to his office when I handed her the rentals. I broke out in a cold sweat because of what happened last time and I thought Jen complained about my battling style. He looked like a completely different person when I walked in.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Have a seat."

My boss wore a gray cloak over a blue one with a blue sash around his waist. He still wore his sunglasses which provided some level of comfort. His hair threw me for a loop the most. In the time since I last saw him, his hair had grown. It went down to just above his shoulders and was dyed blue. It was eccentric to say the least.

In addition to the change in his clothes, he had various cuts and bruises on his arm when his cloak ran up his arm. I could tell it was ripped as well. His face also had spots of mud that were somewhat fresh. I didn't know what to make of his change in appearance or what kind of fight he got into so I kept my mouth shut.

"Congratulations on winning the tournament. I take it you'll deposit the check tomorrow when the bank is open?"

"Yes sir. I know the advanced tournament is coming up next week, but the owner's daughter wouldn't let me enter."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I have five employees entering anyway. You'll have to wait until you're eligible for the next tournament."

"Is there anything else you need from me? I saw you guys were still moving stuff in."

"Your offer is appreciated, but I have it taken care of. We couldn't get the S.S. Libra going, so we had to settle for bringing our things over on two separate ships. That said, we will be opening by next week." An idea sprung to mind.

"I know two people in town that are studying to become doctors. They could be an asset to the company during the opening rush because they're willing to get experience."

"Don't all medical personnel in training start their studies at a Pokémon Center? And what type of doctor do they want to be?"

I leaned back in my chair. "They are, but it's mostly office work. As for the specific field, I honestly don't know." He hummed, although I didn't think he would take my offer. "Can  _I_ at least come in and observe the medical staff?"

"May I ask why?"

I didn't want to tell him how truly ignorant I was when it came to basic first aid. "I just want to learn more about medicine and the effects of injuries."

"I'll have to think about both propositions," he replied after a moment of silence. "Anyway, you can still rent out one Pokémon until closing time if you feel like going over to New Mauville for extra money."

"Wailmer is probably the way to go. I don't feel like waiting for the ferry or paying for a ticket." I had no intention of battling; I wanted to go to the secluded beach on the far north side of the island to relax.

He stood up and led me to the door. "Very well. I also want you to stop by on opening day at noon to receive important information. Don't be late."

"Will do."

The receptionist had Wailmer's ball called in before I walked home to change and grab my bag. It was dusk so surfing over was possible with the help of guide lights around the edge of the island. Wailmer flawlessly navigated the somewhat choppy waters and we landed on the empty shoreline with no signs of any trainers nearby.

Magneton and Linoone were let out to enjoy the sea breeze. The pressure they faced all day went away little by little as we stared at the skyline. They held their own despite being somewhat weaker than most Pokémon used by other trainers. New Mauville's underground scene would give them more valuable experience, but the question would be about how long they could hold up in the long run. My mind wandered until a thud was in the distance. Linoone perked up and pawed at me.

"What's wrong?" He pointed to my bag then sprinted to where the beach met the forest on the far northwest point of the island. I heard some trees rustling followed by a bush when I caught up to him. A small bush started to shake more until I peeked over it. "Holy shit," I mumbled.

A Latios was on its stomach covered in scrapes and mud. Its breathing was steady yet deep; I didn't need a nurse to tell me it was exhausted. When it saw me, it tried to fly away only to stumble to the ground. It turned on its back and started backing up. One step closer resulted in a weak Dragon Breath attack which Linoone fought back with Pin Missile. Latios snarled at the thought of its attack being cancelled out.

Linoone stepped in front of me and started yelling at it. Latios would try to argue back, but Linoone would get more animated. He broke through to the Eon Pokémon after digging through my bag to pull out a Super Potion. I pulled out another one followed by a Sitrus Berry as a sign of good faith.

It took every ounce of energy to keep my emotions in check. One of Hoenn's legendary Pokémon was at arguably its lowest point and was unpredictable. Latios was a highly intelligent Pokémon that could read humans better than others so taking things slow was the way to go. Any sudden movement would set off a chain reaction that wouldn't end well for any of us.

"It's okay… it's okay. Nobody else is around and I'm here to help. This is going to sting, but you'll feel better," I whispered. I slowly moved the spray bottle up to its body and carefully applied it to as many cuts as I could; I did it again with the other bottle. Latios flinched each time while sliding backwards. It put its arms up and flinched again when I went to wipe off some mud. "Almost done." I cleaned it up the best I could.

We stared at each other awkwardly after I gave it the berry. Latios ate slowly as if I would try something funny. It would slowly bring the berry to its mouth, carefully take a bite, bring it back down, slowly chew, and then repeat the process until it was finished. Linoone eased up a bit although I could tell it wasn't happy about Latios' behavior.

"Unfortunately, those were the last items I had to restore strength with. You should be good to fly in a few minutes or so. I'm not sure how fast you could go, though."

Latios slowly nodded before its eyes gradually turned blue. I got a nasty migraine and clutched my head in an attempt to make the pain go away. Memories from my childhood flashed by at what felt like the speed of light until the night I battled my boss in the facility. The pain amplified until everything started to go black.

The last thing I remembered was Linoone growling and a strong gust of wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer than the other chapters up to this point, but I hope it was an enjoyable read. Don't worry, Latias will have her time in the spotlight in due time.


	10. Opening Day

A pat on the head was enough to bring me back to reality. Linoone kept pawing at me to make sure I fully regained consciousness. Magneton must've arrived when I was knocked out and it was giving off electricity to make sure everyone could see. From the looks of everything, Latios didn't attack any of my Pokémon when I was out cold. It was also the first time I've seen Linoone genuinely concerned for me despite our adventures growing up. I had to sit behind the bush before I regained my senses.

"That was nuts. Latios ran through my memories without a problem. What would've happened if he kept going?" I mumbled to myself. I stood up and staggered around; Magneton let me throw my arm around its body to stabilize myself. "Thanks for that. I would've liked to stay longer, but we need to go home. I still have a massive headache." Wailmer stayed at the edge of the forest with my bag, but it was unharmed.

I recalled my original partners before riding Wailmer back to the mainland. City lights reflected off the water making navigation a little easier although I still treaded carefully. I sprinted back to Pokémon Services unsure of the time until I saw it was 9:30; good to know Latios' powers can keep someone unconscious for about two hours with a lingering headache as a side effect. I handed Wailmer's ball off then went home.

Going south through the city before going east would cause my headache to get worse. My alternate route was to go past the Pokémon Center, past the cycle shop, then go south until I was in my neighborhood. It was arguably a longer route, but it kept me away from sensory overload.

The night was still young, but I had to call out Linoone to watch my back. Two people in an alley by Rydel's shop took notice of me trying to keep it together. Running away would've made them chase me so I banked on them going back to whatever they were doing. Unfortunately, a Golbat flew in front of me.

"Nice bag ya got. Anything good in there?" one said after they flashed grins.

I dumped out what little healing items I had. "Not really." Their grins faded.

"Bullshit. We know you're hiding that check in there somewhere. Golbat, get that bag!" They didn't look familiar from the pool of participants.

"Linoone, Headbutt," I groaned. "Do whatever you want to make it faint." The headache started to get worse.

"Give me that bag!" the Golbat's trainer yelled. The other man jumped me too.

There wasn't much I could do since I was outnumbered. Linoone was too busy on his end to help and I didn't have a chance to call out Magneton. We duked it out until I lost my footing and went into the fetal position to protect myself from the assault. Golbat apparently had been defeated because Linoone rammed one of them into the brick wall which caused him to slump to the ground. The other mugger took my bag before running off. I managed to get up and walk over to the other one.

"Hope it was worth it for this." I kicked the left side of his face which caused him to completely fall over.

"You… you asshole," he panted. "You had the check in your pocket the whole time, didn't you?"

I wanted to smash his head into the wall. Luckily for him, there were security cameras. "That money's already safe. Next time, enter a tournament instead of watching from the stands. Now call back your Golbat and get out of here." I let him do so as I tried to regain my senses.

Going to the police was an option, but I had my reasons not to. First, it was on the far west side of the city. It was the last building before entering route 117 so it was a long walk. Second, I didn't want to drag myself into any trouble since they would be asking questions about my injuries. Third, I think I did enough damage to the one mugger where they wouldn't think about doing it again. I continued the walk home with Linoone out after checking to see if he was hurt.

Aside from a stream of blood running down my nose, there wasn't any severe visible damage. I did some poking around to check if I had any bruises; my entire head hurt so I needed a mirror to see how messed up that was. The main sore spots were my arms and chest which wasn't too bad considering I was outnumbered. My nose also started to swell which made it harder to breathe. I was more surprised about everyone huddling around the television watching the news when I walked in the house.

"What's going on?"

"Hush! Gabby's about to do a live report," my mom snapped without looking at me.

"It's been nearly two hours since someone saw a Latios fly over Mauville City. I have a witness here with me. What's your name?"

"Jen." My jaw dropped.

"How did you know it was a Latios?" Gabby asked, sounding somewhat skeptical about the story.

My former opponent looked irritated. "You can ask anyone on the beach about a huge burst of wind. Here's a picture I took."

She shoved it close to the camera; a figure was low in the night sky over the beach by our house. A streak of white and dark blue was present but not much else. One camera flash from a PokéNav wasn't bright enough to get a definitive picture. I thought I saw a hint of its red triangle but for those who may not have seen Latios in a book or in person, it could pass for a Swellow based on the lack of lighting.

"Interesting. Why would a Latios fly so close to the ground? Aren't they usually shy?" Gabby asked.

"I can't say for sure, but it was probably weakened. It looked like it was heading north."

Gabby faced the camera. "This has been a live report from the route 118 beach on Hoenn TV. Stay tuned for an update in an hour."

Something felt off about the interview. Why would anyone care about a Latios sighting? I understood that it was a legendary Pokémon, but everyone in Hoenn knew it existed. Maybe a slow news day? Did I feel like it wasn't a big deal because I saw it? Regardless, my family liked the report until they turned to me. My siblings recoiled at the sight of me and my parents embraced me like I had been missing for years.

"Lucas, get your brother a towel! Ryan, what happened to you!?"

"Take a guess… I got mugged. Joke's on them because I had nothing valuable."

"We need to call the police."

I shook my head while rubbing my face. "No we don't." Mom stared me down.

"Why?"

No point in lying to her. "I fought back. If  _they_ go to the police, I'll ask for Rydel's security camera footage since it happened in their alley. Now if you'll excuse me, I need an aspirin. I have a massive headache."

"Then we'll continue this tomorrow."

"Before I go to bed, why is dad home? Doesn't he have work tonight?"

A huge smile came across her face. "He got promoted to the day shift." I went upstairs with a smile on my face; he finally got a normal schedule.

Looking in the bathroom mirror made me flinch. I had a nasty bruise by my ear, a big one on the left side of my chest, and my nose was swollen. They would take a few days at best to heal.

"Awesome… looks like I'm staying in tomorrow. Hopefully I can still do something productive. Maybe there's something in my books about Pokémon not in Hoenn," I mumbled to myself. I turned to Linoone on the floor. "Thanks for backing me up. We've left for work after midnight for years and nobody bothered us. I'm too tired to think about it anymore. Let's go to bed."

The aspirin tablets did wonders for me as I slept through the night without any problems. It felt weird yet relaxing waking up to an empty house. Before I had the chance to relax, I saw the check on my desk. Nobody would be dumb enough to mug me in the middle of the day. I mumbled about how it was dumb that Lostelle's didn't do direct deposit for tournament winners to the bank and back.

One book that I hadn't touched in years had some nice information on Pokémon in Johto. Most of it was pictures and names but it was better than nothing. There was a section on the Elite Four which had detailed explanations of their team although some things may have changed since the book was published.

My Sinnoh books were slightly more detailed by having some notable teams that advanced deep in the league tournament. Each one was balanced in offense, defense and typing while having a diversity in attacks; I had a long way to go. What blew my mind the most was that a Pokémon called Eevee could evolve into seven different Pokémon. Hoenn had their share of Pokémon that could potentially evolve into two different ones, but seven possible evolutions from a small ball of fluff was absurd. Maybe I slept through that class.

Although I learned about Unova, Kalos, and Alola in school, I owned no books about them. Orre was simply a place I knew existed because my boss was from there. The problem was that I had no information on it because it was never covered in class. There were probably more regions or independent cities that had Pokémon I had never seen before as well.

I needed to take a break after reading about Sinnoh's champion; my mind was too fixed on her team. It was the strongest team I've ever read about. Her Garchomp sounded like it could single handedly defeat Steven's team. Minutes of relaxation turned to an hour and Sadie coming home snapped me back to reality. She had a huge smile on her face as she handed me a set of papers.

"Congratulations! You have been selected to work at our facility on route 119. Please return the enclosed questionnaire by next week in order to make the transition smoother. We look forward to having you at the Weather Institute," I read out loud. I didn't need to finish reading the acceptance letter.

"Ryan… it finally happened. I got my dream job," she whispered while still smiling.

Sadie had never been so happy. Her love for weather was only rivaled by the stress of constantly submitting her work to the top meteorologists in Hoenn. It took months of mapping data just to get a letter stating that they loved her enthusiasm. Even the day she was granted intern status was nothing compared to having a job she was going to love.

"That's great! Will you start after you graduate?"

"Probably. I haven't looked at anything else besides the acceptance letter. It just… it just doesn't feel real," she said solemnly.

"You want Linoone to poke you to make sure?"

She lightened up. "Good one. I'm filling out the rest of the paperwork now. Don't tell anyone because I want to."

Keeping the news hidden was hard when my parents walked through the door. Lucas was unusually tired, so it was best to leave him alone until dinner. For the first time in years, we all could enjoy dinner without feeling rushed. When we were almost done eating, Sadie dropped the bomb.

"Everyone… I got offered a job at the Weather Institute!"

My parents looked at each other in shock then back to her. "You're kidding…" my mom whispered.

"Nope! Here's the letter." Mom looked it over then handed it back.

"I'm so proud of you, honey! Make sure you get that form in." Sadie nodded before running upstairs; Lucas looked dejected. "Ryan, you need to stay at the table after we clean up." I had hoped she forgot about last night.

"Go for it," I replied as I put my plate in the sink.

"Can you explain to us why you thought  _not_  going to the police was a good idea?" dad asked in a sternly.

I didn't show any signs of regret. "I didn't have a good description of the muggers and I'm pretty sure self-defense was enough to send a message."

Dad rubbed his eyes. "That was a bad choice taking things into your own hands. You're smarter than that, Ryan."

"I'm done relying on other people to solve my problems," I calmly replied. "My job is a reflection of that; you have nobody to rely on but yourself. I either get results or I don't. Besides, what were they going to do? Walk into the police station and say I fought them after they tried to mug me?"

"That's not a good excuse. You should've gone to the police as soon as possible or at least made a scene," mom retorted. "Speaking of the job… have you ever gotten paid? You were always excited about getting checks but we've never seen or heard about one and it's been just over a month since you started."

I wasn't sure how much a salesman was supposed to make, but I highly doubt it was whatever Lostelle's was paying in prize money. Any good salesman could rack up a payday like that, but not in a matter of hours. Mom could sell every piece of merchandise and not make as much as me.

"Direct deposit has taken the fun out of receiving a check, I guess. Don't worry though, I'm getting paid. My money has been going straight to the bank." They seemed content with my answer. Dad relaxed his face when he turned to me.

"Back to last night before we're done… just be smart, okay? In the heat of the moment, you tend to resort to fighting. The streets are not like school, Ryan… and you know it. We want you to find a place to call us at if you think something is wrong. We have no problem coming to get you if that's what you're worried about."

He was right. My scuffles in class or on the playground were nothing compared to last night or the time that group of kids came after me with a Zangoose. The hard part was the calling home; I'd have to rely on the kindness of someone working at a public building. A PokéNav was starting to look like my first big purchase.

"Will do," I replied. They went upstairs while Lucas went in the backyard to sit down.

Seeing my normally energetic brother down was concerning. Electrike tried to cheer him up only to be shooed away. I walked out back to the sound of him sniveling.

"Come on Lucas, tell me what's wrong. It's pretty obvious something's bothering you." He took a deep breath to reset himself.

"You know… it sucks to work for an opportunity only to have it taken away at the last second. All that Pokéathlon training went to waste."

"How so?"

He looked at Electrike. "We've busted our ass for months for a Pokéathlon tournament being held in Johto. I made the final cut for Hoenn's amateur team after a scout saw me today, but I'm afraid to go because it's so expensive. We don't have that kind of money!" he wailed after trying to keep it together.

"Let me see the expense sheet and letter." He quickly ran inside to get it. The numbers weren't in his favor.

The school was only willing to pay his 1,000P entry fee. Travel expenses were the highest and included a round trip ticket from Lilycove to Olivine, meals, hotel stay for a weekend, and a rental van to get them from Olivine to Goldenrod. Since the sport was independent from the school, Lucas had to pay for his own uniform. A few smaller expenses brought the total to about 15,000P. The good news was that the event wouldn't take place for a few months and the money wasn't due until a week before the trip. Anyone on the team could be kicked off if they broke one of the team's rules so even the best athlete wasn't safe.

"It's not fair! All I want to do is compete. I didn't know that it would be so expensive."

I sat next to him. "It always seems to start out like that. People think trainers hop from Pokémon Center to Pokémon Center or get items for free just because they're trainers. Last time I checked, everyone pays the same for items at a mart. The good news is that once you get going, things get easier. You can find a way to make things work."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. Also, your training didn't go to waste. Both of you have more endurance, strength, and speed than the average person or Pokémon."

Lucas let Electrike sit in his lap. "I guess you're right," he mumbled. "My coach is willing to bring me to the main training facility in Petalburg City when the event gets closer so he sees something in me."

From my experience working at the gym, our conversation could affect Lucas in two ways. He could channel his anger to perform better in practice or mentally shut down knowing he might not be able to compete. He was naturally resilient, but this was a problem with no clear answer.

He could get a job, but there was no guarantee he would raise the money in time. His training regimen would suffer as well. Since he just made the team, he would likely be the first one to be replaced if something was off. Either his coach didn't tell him about the cost or he was unaware of how the system worked. Had he known about the money issue, he would've handled things differently.

"I wasn't going to go out because of the bruises, but it's still light out. We're going for a walk after I get my wallet," I said.

The streets around our house had kids playing in the road with parents watching on the curb. We got a few weird looks on the way to the mart. Lucas didn't ask any questions as I punched my information into an ATM although I think he knew what I was getting at.

"According to this screen, I have about 32,000P lying around. According to your expense sheet, it costs 15,000 to go to Johto. I don't have a lot of personal expenses for now. I think you can do the math."

His eyes lit up. "You mean it?"

"The average adult making an average salary with no kids could handle it better than I could. I still need to take care of myself down the road," I replied.

"Now I'm confused."

"Giving you all 15,000P in one payment is a bad idea. What I'm getting at is an installment plan. You'll have your money in time for the Pokéathlon. You don't have to pay me back either."

Pulling money out of my personal account was going to be interesting. My one major expense in the near future was a PokéNav; I'd rather get a Pokédex for free when I become a trainer. Tournaments at the battle dome would be open to battlers of all skill levels so money wasn't guaranteed unless they started adding money for second and third place finishers. Lostelle's gaming floor was always an option albeit a risky one to earn more money. As long as I didn't blindly throw money around, earning the 15,000P back was reasonable at the rate I was going.

"Thank… thank you so much. Why are you doing this, though? That's a lot to ask for," Lucas whispered while dropping to his knees in shock.

"We may not always get along, but you're my little bro and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Our family has always found a way to make things work. All I ask is that you continue to bust your ass in practice. I have to read up on every Pokémon for my job so don't think I have it easy sitting at a desk all day." I hated to tell a half-truth, but I wanted him to know I was putting in work too. "Do we have a deal?"

He stood up and shook my hand. "Deal."

"Good. Now let's get back before it gets dark. I'd rather not sit through another lecture." We had no issues on the way back.

* * *

Pokémon Services came out of nowhere with an aggressive advertising blitz. Flyers on light poles, television commercials, radio commercials, and staff that would be working with patients standing on street corners handing out colorful pamphlets were the techniques used to draw people in. It had been a week of nonstop promotion until opening day. I went over at noon just like my boss requested after spending more time in the Pokémon Center reading up on Sinnoh's native Pokémon.

Their lobby was filled to the brim and I was forced to go into a conference room to see Mister V. He looked oddly calm for a business owner on opening day. Then again, a thick stack of papers on the table might have been keeping him distracted.

"Take a seat please," he droned. "As you are aware, the tournaments at the game corner are going to get unconventional as time goes on. You have been with us for a short time yet have done so much. The money you've raised is small in comparison to the other six trainers, but I respect you for trying to earn more at the game corner using your own money. I also respect you for battling at New Mauville. None of the others think that is worth their time."

"Thank you, sir," I replied solemnly.

"I have decided to expand your roster of selectable Pokémon so that you may be prepared at all times. Our Pokémon handlers haven taken note of how they come back fully healed and on time. It's safe to say I can trust you to take whatever you need with a few exceptions. Information sheets will be provided when you rent them."

Finally! I was in complete control of the teambuilding process instead of hoping my opponent didn't have a Pokémon that could sweep me. The items weren't allowed to be changed, but I didn't have a problem. Lairon was the only Pokémon that held a worthless item to my knowledge.

"Can I tell you what that decision means?" I sternly asked.

He folded his arms. "Go ahead."

"You said if I had the tools to succeed, I would do so. Every tournament will now be won by someone from this company. The six other trainers and I are going to dominate the battle dome."

"I like that confidence," he said with a grin. "Just worry about yourself. By the way, I need your help here."

That threw me for a loop. "Where do you want me?"

"Rehabilitation rooms or the training dome. It's noon now so I think the rush should die down around 5:30 or so. See me then."

The adrenaline rush never let up during my shift. I ran around cleaning rooms, wiping down equipment, sweeping battle fields, setting up obstacle courses for drills, and fetching things as needed. The six other trainers with more experience were also helping around in rehabilitation battles; the company had nearly every Pokémon in Hoenn on standby. It was weird to see battling  _not_  to win because sparring wasn't something they seemed accustomed to. If any employee was battling too hard or not listening to the therapist, they were scolded.

Every therapist took notes or film the battle to show the trainer. I had to print out paperwork that contained drills for Pokémon to do at home; it amazed me how thorough the exercises were. I had no idea that there were over a dozen ways for a Machop to strengthen its wrist after awkwardly falling on it in battle. A trainer needed their own binder after her Delcatty completely tore a muscle in its knee after making a quick cut on a wet field.

A secondary effect from watching the exercises was that I heard good medical advice in general. Trainers asked about dealing with minor injuries when travelling around Hoenn so I didn't have to. Anyone probably could've answered those questions, but it was reassuring to hear answers come from someone in the medical field. I quickly learned that Pokémon Services wouldn't go out of business anytime soon.

"You wanted to see me after my shift?" I asked after knocking on Mister V's door when the clock read 5:30.

He looked up from his computer. "Right. Here's your pay for the day." A wad of 5,500P was thrown my way.

"Thank you very much. Is there anything else I can do?" He looked around his desk then let out a deep sigh.

"I should've had someone else do it before they left because I'm on a roll. Ryan, could you go the conference room and get a file for me? It's in a leather portfolio that zips up. I'll write it down; here's the key."

A few people were milling around in the lobby for evening appointments, but nobody was in the conference room. Large filing cabinets lined the back wall and the key didn't open any of them. The smallest one in the back corner opened when I inserted the key. It held only five portfolio cases.

"Let's see here… what was it? Ein File S? Yeah, that looks like an 'S' to me," I mumbled to myself as I picked it up. "What the hell? The two zippers are locked together with a tiny lock. What is  _in_  this thing?"

I wanted an explanation but then I realized I wanted to keep my job more. My boss set the file aside before waving me away. I still had one last question.

"Sir, why does a place like this need to be built? Doesn't a Pokémon Center take care of everything?"

He sighed in annoyance. "Pokémon Centers can only do so much. Some Pokémon require more than a simple machine to reach their full potential," he answered without looking up from his computer. I wasn't convinced of his reasoning, but I could tell he really wanted me to leave. The topic of Latios would have to wait.

I didn't feel like reading up on any more Pokémon or going home. Gambling at Lostelle's was the best way to kill time until I had a hard time figuring out my gambling limit. Mauville Hills came to mind when I reached the middle of the city. Telling Maddie and Cecil about the newly opened building might renew their passion in the medical field. The only problem was that I was too disoriented last time to remember the exact room number.

"Hi, I'm looking for a Maddie and a Cecil," I asked the desk attendant.

"Why? It's not like you're a mailman delivering a big package."

Figures they would ask questions. No upscale apartment complex would give away addresses of its tenants to strangers so easily. I pulled out my crinkled notes on a random Pokémon since it was the first thing I thought of.

"I was looking to drop off these notes." The desk attendant wasn't buying it. "Look, they need these notes now. How else are they going to prepare for it in battle?"

"I can deliver it to them now."

"Fair enough. Can I at least put the papers in an envelope so they're all together?" I was handed one. "Cool. Let me add a few notes before I lick it shut… done! Here you go."

I left out the front when he went to the elevator then went to the back entrance. After a few minutes, Maddie opened the door with a smirk on her face. She held up my crumpled notes.

"Pretty clever of you to find a way in. Come up to room 305 so we can talk. By the way, this 'Bidoof' doesn't sound strong at all." She led me up without any issues. "Cecil's working at the Pokémon Center until midnight."

I sat down on their living room couch. "I just needed one of you home. How would you like to intern or even work for a new place in town?"

Maddie's head perked up. "You're talking about Pokémon Services?"

"Yup! Today was a constant rush; keeping up with everything was tough. Anyway, I wanted to drop by to tell you to pay them a visit since it's up your alley."

She looked confused. "They need help already?"

"Not  _now_ at least. It doesn't hurt to fill out a general application, especially when I work for them," I replied.

"No way! That's amazing!"

I threw my hands up. "I just work in sales. Unfortunately, I don't think I have enough influence to get you and Cecil hired on the spot. Maybe my name will come in handy later."

"Are they open now? Can we go?"

"Uh… sure? I thought you would think about it first."

"Ha! Good one. Let's go out the back way." We casually walked out the back door to the north side.

Pokémon Services had nobody in the lobby although there were a few non-trainers coming out with their Pokémon from the back. Maddie confidently asked for an application and filled it out in what felt like record time. The receptionist remembered me then silently pieced together that I was trying to get Maddie a job. I had a feeling that the form would go straight to the trash after we left, but some notes were taken on another piece of paper before being stapled together. Why go through all that trouble just to throw it away?

"Thank you for your interest!" the receptionist said after putting it in a folder.

"Can I have one for my boyfriend?" She was handed another form. "He's just as good, if not better than me. You sit an injured Pokémon in front of us and we'll tell you what needs to be done," Maddie said as we walked out the door.

The walk back to her apartment wasn't as stressful as I thought. It wasn't late enough for the night life crowd to be out. We stopped in front of the main entrance before parting ways; she wrote their room number on my palm as a friendly reminder in case I wanted to stop by again. Going up to her room would be as simple as walking to the elevator and hitting the button to take me to the third floor. I made a pit stop at the mart on the way home.

"Excuse me, but do you have an older PokéNav I could buy?" I asked the clerk after I looked around.

He pulled out an inventory sheet. "We have some older ones from years ago apparently in the storage room. They're probably not as advanced as the ones now."

"Not a problem. How much are they?"

"Devon is trying to free up shelf space, so they've cut it down to 1,500P."

Price slashing by Devon? And I thought seeing Latios up close was a rare sight. "One old PokéNav please," I said trying to contain my excitement. He came back with a dusty box.

"This comes loaded with a map of Hoenn, a scanner for your Pokémon's 'condition' in relation to contests, a ribbon display, and it acts as a phone. There are other functions built in like a basic calculator. Devon should still be able to help you if it gets damaged although don't be surprised if they tell you to buy a new one."

Most trainers could get one for a discount even if it was the newest model although anybody could buy one. I didn't care about my new toy being outdated; I had something that made my life exponentially easier. Unlike my dress clothes, I didn't need any help buying the PokéNav which made it that much sweeter to own. I could also feel the envy from my family before I left for home.

Everyone huddled around the PokéNav box like it was some otherworldly object while I tried to set it up. A lack of extra features made my siblings less envious although they wished they still had one. The test run worked perfectly when I dialed our home phone number, played around with the other functions, and scanned my two Pokémon for contest status information. I also breathed a sigh of relief when I added Pokémon Services' phone number to my contact list; it would help for future tournaments.

Before I went to sleep, I kept thinking about the small filing cabinet and the Ein Files. I doubt it would be five specific patients. I'd also like to think keeping secrets about rehabilitating Pokémon is bad for the rest of the medical community. Why were the zippers locked together? What could possibly be in those things?

If I played my cards right in the office and kept winning tournaments, I could find out.


	11. Living Large

Saying the next few months were chaotic would have been a massive understatement. After graduation, Sadie gathered her things and shipped off to the Weather Institute with an employee by her side. The stress of moving across the region was further reduced when she was given the option to live in sponsored housing at a discounted rate compared to other places in or around Fortree City. Once the realization that Sadie was out in the world, my parents cried out of joy in their room with the door closed a few nights later. Their crying eventually rubbed off on me.

I never knew how she  _truly_  felt after the day Shawn slapped her across the face and how I was so close to beating him senseless. Nobody in the house heard if her classmates were giving her a hard time for it despite a few of them knowing about the incident. Her schoolwork or forecasts didn't seem to drop in quality. Her friend group dynamic hadn't changed either. Maybe it was better that we never spoke of it after the league agent came to the house to tell us he skipped town. As it stood, she didn't let that day get to her.

Lucas left for Petalburg City shortly after Sadie did to continue his training. Hoenn's professional and amateur teams were constantly working on their strength with Norman or Brawly. I gave him 5,000P the day he left without our parents noticing; the remaining 10,000 was sent in time and he stayed on the team. Another bittersweet blow for my parents came when I moved into a downtown apartment.

Various tournaments with different prize amounts were held at Lostelle's every week which allowed me to pad my bank account. The game corner also made the smart decision to give out cash to second and third place finishers to attract more participants. I didn't win every time, but I never finished worse than sixth overall. My worst performances came in double battles no matter what combination of Pokémon I used; there was just too much to focus on during the fight. No matter the tournament, someone from Pokémon Services always won.

To supplement my income, I also took shifts at the main building doing grunt work. Battling at the facility was another source of cash although I didn't go there frequently. My fellow battlers poked fun at me for living in the far southwest side of the city since it was just one step above where I used to live. When I asked where they lived, Mauville Hills was the answer. Paying thousands for rent and utilities didn't appeal to me, but I went along with their jokes. Like my previous jobs, none of my coworkers seemed like the type to socialize outside of work. I took full advantage of that fact.

Notes flooded my room from Pokémon 001 to 441, or Bulbasaur to Chatot, in the months since I moved out. Although I spent hours gathering data, I rarely used the encyclopedia at the gym. I still felt a mix of embarrassment and anger whenever I walked through the door. Wattson had put so much faith in me only for our relationship to crumble after one fight.

I would have to go back for the Dynamo Badge, but I wasn't ready to become an official trainer yet. My bank account was hovering around 125,000P, the earning potential I had was limitless, I was constantly challenged by strong opponents, I was a respected employee overall, I was learning more about the medical field with every shift, and I loved my job.

Battling in front of an arena full of screaming fans made for one heck of an adrenaline rush that was only rivaled by the stadiums in Ever Grande City. Flexibility to go to the game corner and earn money by gambling was also a huge plus; I only stuck to blackjack. If I had any work-related questions, I could call with my PokéNav instead of wasting my time walking to the building. Starting my journey would ultimately depend on when I didn't like my job anymore.

Linoone and Magneton still got their battling in despite being far weaker than any of the rental Pokémon. My first partner had Covet replace Fury Swipes and Slash replace Baby-Doll Eyes; Magneton's Flash Cannon replaced Mirror Shot and Magnet Bomb was forgotten for Tri Attack. Despite the new attacks, they would have trouble with anything past the first round of a tournament. I stuck with the rentals whenever I went to New Mauville since they could easily get me out of trouble.

The upcoming tournament was a worldwide one for elite trainers. At the booth to sign up, I was handed an invitation. Anybody with eight or more badges was allowed to enter online while anyone with less had to apply in person or receive a personal invite; I was chosen to participate because of my winning track record at Lostelle's despite having "five" badges. When I went to Pokémon Services to get my team earlier than normal, something in my head clicked.

"What three Pokémon will you be using today? I'm assuming Lairon is one because you've picked it every time?" the receptionist asked with a smile.

I had kept my promise to pick Lairon for every tournament even though I didn't use him all the time. When he did come out, he was happy to see me. The disgruntled attitude came back when he was supposed to evolve due to his Everstone; it didn't last long when I put a plate of food in front of him.

"Can I talk to Mister V first?"

She dialed his extension to explain I was coming. "Just walk into his office." I did so and saw him calmly sitting at his desk looking at the door.

"What's up Ryan?" Him speaking so casually almost made me flinch.

"Do you have the contract I signed? I want to point something out."

"Of course." He took it out, grabbed a pen, and started scanning it. "What do you want to talk about?"

"The section where I can purchase a Pokémon from the company. I want to buy the Lairon I have been using for months." That felt disgusting to say; I had to convince myself it was a good thing.

I'm sure they could raise another one or I could catch one myself, but this Lairon really clicked with me. He acted like I had raised him from an Aron and he clearly wasn't happy about staying at Pokémon Services. No other rental Pokémon had gotten this close to me.

"Hmm… interesting. You're the second person to form a bond with one of our Pokémon. Here's what you need to know," my boss said while pulling out a file. All its information was laid out on a few pieces of paper.

"So… it's really 50,000P?" I asked hoping it was a joke.

"Correct," he coldly replied.

"Can I use that second favor to get a discount? The first one was letting me keep rental Pokémon up until closing."

He smiled. "You have a good memory. I am a man of my word, so I'll bring it down to 20,000. I think that's fair." I wished he would've offered it for free.

"That's fine with me. Let me get the money," I replied not wanting to risk him raising the price.

"Hold on a second," my boss said while making a call. "Jon, it's me. I need you to escort one of our employees to the bank and back. We're talking about 20,000 in cash."

His personal bodyguard came in the room. "Just to the bank and back?"

"An escort to the game corner as well now that I think about it," Mister V ordered.

"Yes sir. Let's go kid."

We turned a few heads as we went to the center of the city. It was weird enough that I was a 6'1", 190-pound man in a three-piece suit, but the bodyguard looked 6'3" and was at least 20 pounds heavier than me. The scary part was that extra 20 pounds looked like it was all muscle. Even the teller was focused on him until I walked up to the window.

"I'd like to withdraw 20,000P all at once, please." The teller walked away and came back with the manager without a word. "Here's my identification."

The manager looked it over. "You'll need to come in the back for me. Your friend needs to remain in the lobby."

"No problem," Jon said while going by the door. I was led to the vault containing potentially millions in cash.

"For convenience and safety, I'll give you a suitcase to carry it in along with one of our security guards to wherever you are going."

I sheepishly rubbed my head. "That's what my friend was going to do. The more the merrier I guess."

The three of us walked north to Pokémon Services drawing even more attention. A few whispers came from a crowd although nobody asked us anything. I had to give credit to people for not getting close enough to warrant a fight; my security team probably would probably ignore me if I told them to back off. Once we got back, I told the bank guard to wait at the door because I didn't want to keep the suitcase.

"Here's the money," I said after opening the suitcase in front of Jon and Mister V.

"Perfect! I'll call the front desk and tell them what's going on. Now get going because I don't want you to be late. The other six battlers have already checked in." I went to the lobby to hand the suitcase off to the bank guard. When he left, I went to the front desk again.

"Lairon will be a permanent member of my team if you know what I mean," I said with a soft smile.

"Oh! Well then, here's his ball. Congratulations!"

"I still need three Pokémon. How about Roserade, Starmie, and Dodrio?" I still lacked access to Pokémon with mega evolutions, but I was content with my options.

"All set. Good luck!" Jon and I ran over to Lostelle's to check in; he nearly ran people over in front of us so we wouldn't be late.

Despite it being 10:30 am, I was one of the last participants to check in. My competition was expected to be stiff and plentiful with 127 other participants signed up; seeding was irrelevant. To entice trainers from around the world to come, the top four trainers would receive a cash prize. First place was a whopping 500,000P, second place would take home 250,000P, third place was 100,000P and fourth through eighth went from 75,000-25,000P along with prepaid gaming cards for slot machines.

Another caveat was that the tournament was over two days instead of one. Day one would go from 128 trainers to 32 and then day two would have a winner. Rules were still what I was accustomed to like three against three or being allowed to change the team between battles. When I was handed the rules sheet, I sent Jon back. I found a corner away from the bustling crowd to call out my new Pokémon.

"Come out, Lairon." He looked eager to put in another hard day of work; I knelt next to him. "Today's going to be a little different. See these papers? It means you don't have to go back today!"

His head tilted in confusion before happily jumping in place. Papers meant nothing to him on the surface, but it was clear he knew I was his trainer now. The Everstone was carefully removed and he playfully tackled me.

"Oh man you're heavy," I wheezed while rubbing his side. Lairon might as well have been the happiest Pokémon in the world at that point. "Ready to go? You might evolve by the end of the day." He hopped off before I recalled him.

All participants gathered in a banquet room to receive a quick reminder of the rules. Out of the 128 trainers, roughly a dozen were dressed up although the badges gave away the company employees. One staff member wheeled in a projector and computer to show a live stream. There was a giant whiteboard to show the bracket. My match was the eighth one in which allowed me to scout the competition.

As expected, fully evolved Pokémon saw the field with a few making use of hold items. One combination that caught my eye was a Unova trainer's Conkeldurr holding a Choice Band. It was like watching a near murder every time it connected with a punch or swung its cinder blocks. Even Steven's Metagross or Drake's Salamence would have a tough time standing up after taking a hit. Seeing power like that was a sight to behold; I envied that trainer.

"Can we have our next two trainers by the door?" a stagehand called out. I dragged myself over while my opponent followed behind me. "Wait for my cue before you take the field."

It wasn't Jen, but she had a company badge. "Hi there. Name's Ryan." She gave me a look over then turned away without saying a word; what a bitch. We took our places in the trainer's box after I won the coin toss.

"Roserade, I choose you!" I confidently yelled over the roar of the crowd.

"Haven't seen one growing up in Johto, but it looks like a grass type. Sneasel, get out here!"

Our referee got set. "Roserade versus Sneasel. Go!"

I had the chance to strike first and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. "Grass Whistle!"

"Ice Shard!"

Sneasel was fast, but I was caught off-guard by how fast Ice Shard connected. Roserade took it like a champ then started to sing a soothing melody. My opponent's Pokémon swayed around until it fell asleep.

"Toxic Spikes! Hurry!" Purple spikes came from Roserade's arms and littered her side of the field.

"Dammit Sneasel! Wake up and use Slash!" The command didn't get through.

"Use Toxic Spikes again!" More came out and the stage was set.

She thought about recalling her Sneasel, but my opponent took a risk. "Slash!" Its eyes snapped open and it sprinted across the field to land a big hit.

"Leech Seed!"

"Do  _not_  let them get it off! Ice Shard!" The attack pelted my Pokémon and sent it to the ground in a heap. Roserade tried to stand, but stayed down.

"Roserade is unable to battle. Sneasel wins!" the referee declared.

Switching out could would have cause a chain reaction that wouldn't benefit me. With two layers of entry hazards, I was in control of the battle. She made a mistake by staying in and I was going to make her pay.

"Not bad. You better enjoy the lead now because you're not going to keep it. Lairon, come on out!" A scowl formed on my opponent's face. I had her right where I wanted her.

Barring some gimmicky move, Sneasel wasn't going to beat Lairon. The issue for her was which Pokémon she wanted to get poisoned. I was prepared if she had a steel or poison type to get around the poisonous spikes. However, a Pokémon with Rapid Spin or Defog would throw a huge wrench in my plan. I had a smile on my face when she opted not to substitute.

"Lairon versus Sneasel. Begin!"

"Iron Head!"

"Beat Up!" A dark aura covered Sneasel's claws as it took six distinct swipes at Lairon. It was a good attempt, but Lairon rushed ahead to deliver a heavy hit.

"Double-Edge!" I ordered for good measure. The frail ice and dark type stayed down.

A flag went up. "Sneasel is unable to battle. Lairon wins!"

Having the score even at 2-2 was misleading at the least. Unless she had a Pokémon with Rapid Spin or Defog, I could stall her out as poison whittled down her Pokémon. The problem for me was playing it safe versus trying to end the battle as quickly as possible. My team was fast enough to dodge hits but lacked the defense to take them.

"A little challenge never hurt me," my opponent said while shrugging her shoulders. "Go Quagsire!"

I took satisfaction in seeing the poison take effect immediately. Unfortunately, she managed to gain the advantage back. I remembered that Lairon was a horrible matchup on offense and defense; I needed to switch. Her last Pokémon would need to have excellent type coverage to pull out a win.

"Lairon, get back! Go Starmie!"

Magneton was the worst choice considering the situation. Dodrio hit hard, but lacked the type coverage needed to deal with her mystery Pokémon. Starmie had excellent type coverage with Hydro Pump, Psychic, and Power Gem. Reflect Type was the last move to make it more versatile in rehabilitation battles.

"Starmie versus Quagsire. Begin!"

The ground typing worked to my advantage. "Starmie, Hydro Pump!"

Quagsire just stood there with an absent look on its face as the blast of water pushed it back. To my horror, the move had no effect; fucking Water Absorb ruined it. At least the poison started to go to work. My opponent stood there with her arms crossed.

"You're going to hate me for this. Quagsire, use Amnesia!" It tilted its head then a glow surrounded it; I was starting to see the writing on the wall.

"Psychic!" The Water Fish Pokémon didn't take too kindly being tossed around the field. Despite the onslaught, it took the attack nicely. Poison took a little more energy out of it than last time once Starmie stopped.

"Mud Shot!"

"Counter with Power Gem!" Blobs of mud collided with pointed rocks causing a small explosion in the middle of the field. I could hear a loud moan from Quagsire followed by a Muddy Water attack. "Hydro Pump to break that wave!"

Starmie did a great job getting the large wave down to one that would weakly wash up against a person's feet on the beach. Quagsire collapsed from the poison leaving my opponent down to her last Pokémon. I kept my emotions in check knowing someone higher up in the company could easily come back from a 2-1 deficit.

"Quagsire is unable to battle. Starmie wins!" our referee announced.

It didn't take her too long to choose the final Pokémon. "Tyranitar, here we go!"

"Oh shit. That's not a rental," I mumbled.

The large Pokémon roared to announce its presence and then did it again when it stepped on the toxic spikes. From what I remembered, it was a versatile Pokémon. A trainer could teach it special attacks to hit physical walls, moves like Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock to be annoying, or its standard physical attacks.

"You really had to make me use my strongest Pokémon, didn't you?" my opponent sighed.

"Water Absorb protected Quagsire from Hydro Pump, but nothing can protect Tyranitar from it."

She formed a big grin. "We'll see about that."

"Starmie versus Tyranitar. Battle!" the referee announced. Another roar summoned a sandstorm.

I slowly reached for its Poké Ball but opted to stay in. "Reflect Type!"

"Pursuit!" she yelled almost immediately after I ordered my attack.

Bright lights covered my Pokémon then slowly faded away. Tyranitar then charged through the sandstorm to deliver a punch. I didn't recall seeing a weak move like Pursuit when I researched it; sounded like a lot of trainers switched out when they saw it. Starmie was still in good condition after resetting itself.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Rock Slide to defend yourself!"

A wall of falling rocks diminished Hydro Pump's effectiveness although Tyranitar took a hit. Sand particles buffeting my Pokémon at the same time made it hard to keep up a powerful stream. Poison damage was starting to rack up too. I needed to buy some more time.

"Hydro Pump again!"

My opponent was getting a little nervous. "Earthquake!"

The burst of water didn't last long as soon as the ground started shaking after a single stomp. Shortly after, Starmie was swallowed by the field then shot back up like a ragdoll when Tyranitar stomped its foot again. Reflect Type made it dark and rock so the damage was more severe than usual. To add insult to injury, the sandstorm pelted my Pokémon despite its red gem flashing. The referee quickly called the round.

"Starmie is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins!"

I couldn't tell if its roar was one of victory or pain after it looked like poison took away more strength. As far as I could tell, it didn't look like it was visibly struggling. Part of that was the fact I hadn't got in a clean hit all battle. All I needed was one good hit with Lairon to end the battle.

"I have a feeling this last round is going to be over a lot faster than usual. Go Lairon!"

Snarling was the last thing I would expect from a Pokémon that was so focused in battle. He ended up yelling across the field as Tyranitar stood there with a confused look on its face. I thought Lairon was trying to assert his dominance, but he was genuinely upset.

"What's its problem?" my opponent asked.

"Beats me."

Our referee kept a stone face. "Okay then… Lairon versus Tyranitar. Go!"

"End it with Earthquake!"

I needed to take a huge risk. "Rush in with Iron Head! Be ready to jump!"

Lairon took four steps before the ground started to shake. He kept charging and then jumped the last ten feet or so to avoid the ground swallowing him.

"Use Crunch!"

For a Pokémon that lost a lot of stamina, it held Lairon in place. Caught in the air, Lairon flailed around until Tyranitar slammed it to the ground. My opponent was convinced that throwing my Pokémon did a decent amount of damage; I thought it was too weak to hold on. Heavy breathing followed as Lairon got up.

"Quick, use Iron Tail!" I screamed.

Lairon's glowing tail swung at Tyranitar's legs; it went down in a heap. As soon as the entire body hit the ground, it went unconscious. Never have I ever seen a Pokémon go from having that much adrenaline to fainting so quickly. Toxic Spikes were meant to cause her problems, but I didn't think they would be the sole reason I won a battle.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle. Lairon wins!" Those words felt so good to hear.

"Woo! Let's fucking go! Lairon… you good?"

He continued his victory roar until a bright light covered him. The small Pokémon slowly grew until it was taller than me; its body dramatically changed as well. An even louder roar echoed throughout the battle dome causing a few people to leave their seats once the glowing stopped. I had an Aggron now.

"Finally got the chance to evolve," I mumbled.

My opponent calmly left the field without saying a word or showing any sign of emotion. Aggron and I took a minute to bask in the glory of a hard-fought win before recalling him. After healing everyone up and seeing my next match time, I found a bench to sit on away from the crowd.

Sitting in front of a computer or encyclopedia taking all those notes came in handy. However, I was frustrated about my performance. There was no way I could've known that one of Johto's best Pokémon would've been on my opponent's team. Nothing on my team could battle it one on one and I was one misstep away from losing to Earthquake. If I didn't have Toxic Spikes up, I would've lost. Forgetting about Quagsire's Water Absorb was another reason to be upset.

I eventually started walking around the casino floor to kill time before my next battle. One crowded roulette table caught my eye as the board above the table flashed the recent winning number. After weaseling my way closer, I saw Sydney of the Elite Four in his trademark button down dress shirt and black vest among a crowd of well-dressed people. It took a lot for me not to freak out.

Wattson may have been my local idol, but Sydney was arguably my favorite trainer in Hoenn. His cocky attitude in battle was justified since he won over 90% of his battles. Fighting types still had trouble with his dark type Pokémon because most of them were faster and could dodge heavy hits. Despite his status among trainers, he was humble when it mattered the most. He would praise opponents even in the face of a win and the rare loss would be met with grace. Excuses never came out of his mouth no matter the outcome. I aspired to have his poise.

"Looks like I'm a roll. Put 2,000 on red," he happily exclaimed. The rest of the group placed their bets then waited for the ball to stop.

"Red 32," the dealer noted.

"Eight wins in a row! I like where this is going! Give me 1000 on black and 500 on the box that says 19 to 36," Sydney yelled. I wanted in immediately.

Seeing the options up close complicated my process. There was an overwhelming amount of options to choose from with odds depending on where a bet would be placed. I could bet on a single number with 35:1 odds and have a huge payout or I could play it safe and pick a color where my odds would be a measly 1:1. Other payouts were between those two extremes. The betting minimum was 100P while the maximum was 100,000; it was probably the most inclusive game at Lostelle's.

"Place your bets everyone."

Making a safe bet just before the spin to start would give me the rush of playing without worrying about losing. "Chips please. I'll put down 500 on black and 500 on red." I could feel the high rollers roll their eyes.

"Playing it safe I see," the dealer noted. "No more bets! Here we go!" The ball dropped smoothly then took an awkward bounce across the wheel into its resting spot. "Green double zero."

"Oh no fucking way," I mumbled. "What a load of shit." Everyone at the table let out a collective sigh because nobody bet on 00.

Sydney perked up first. "Looks like the streak is over. Time to start a new one! I'll put 500 on a corner with 28, 29, 31, and 32."

"You can bet on four numbers at once?" I asked without thinking. I felt embarrassed when everyone at the table looked at me.

Sydney shrugged his shoulders. "Well yeah. You can bet on corners, streets, lines, rows, columns, top line, the list goes on." I gave him a blank look. "I take it you don't play a lot."

"Bingo."

"As long as you don't go overboard, you'll have a good time. You should see me at a craps table."

I wasn't feeling confident after losing 1,000P in a single roll so I decided to sit the next round out. The felt table was littered with chips in places I didn't even know were legal. One person blew through 5,000P by betting seven different ways. Black 31 came up and Sydney was back to being a winner. After watching a few more rounds, I jumped back in before he called for no more bets.

"Excuse me, dealer? Could you put 500 on the top line for me? I can't reach."

He gave me a confused look before shrugging his shoulders. Everyone else either had their head tilted or a weird look on their face. My chips were spread around 00, 0, 1, 2, and 3.

"Ball's going in!" The ball took a less violent bounce into a groove. "Looks like we have black 2." I was handed 3,500P worth of chips.

"Kid, cash those out right here. Follow me," Sydney said while signaling his group to stay behind. I did as he asked. We wandered through the floor until we reached a bar area. "What do you want to drink? I'll buy you a round."

Alcohol was something that drank sparingly. I would have a few beers at my janitorial job if someone else brought a case in to celebrate a special day. Drinking at home wasn't really my thing although my parents weren't against it. Their tastes were limited while I would drink almost anything. Free alcohol was the best kind of alcohol.

Nothing on the menu piqued my interest so I defaulted to something I tried at a retirement party. "Any kind of vodka with Nanab berry juice on the rocks."

"Sweet tooth, huh? I'm more of a beer drinker." He took a few sips before putting the glass down. "I can't believe you even had the guts to make that top line bet. It's usually a sucker bet because of where the numbers are on the wheel. Winning that bet is worth at least a free drink."

"Am I still a sucker even though I won?" Sydney took a big swing then slammed his glass down.

"Ha! Oh boy… I like you, kid. You've got guts _and_  humor." He held a Poké Ball in front of his face. "Absol has Super Luck for its ability, but I guess abilities aren't limited to just Pokémon."

I took a bigger sip of my drink. "Having luck for battles is more important, but I'm happy if I can have it on the gaming floor too."

"You'll have your shot at the Pokémon League eventually."

"There's a battle tournament going on in the battle dome right now where first place is 500,000P. I just won my first battle."

He shook his head while smiling. "That's nuts. You want another drink to take the edge off?"

"Pass. I still have a long day ahead of me."

Sydney finished his beer. "Gutsy, a good sense of humor, smart, and a good battler. What a guy! It's like looking in a mirror. I might swing by for the next round."

"Do whatever you want. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. I don't want to be late for my next battle." I went to leave until he grabbed my arm.

"Kid, listen to me. Enjoy yourself… please. Some of my worst battles were because I wasn't having fun on the field. When you and your Pokémon are having fun, battling becomes so much easier." We shook hands before I went back to the banquet room.

The field of trainers had whittled down during my time on the gaming floor. Round one was finishing up with a sweep by a Gyarados. It had some help as a Ninjask used Baton Pass to transfer a little extra speed and attack; Cecil would've loved it if he saw it. My opponent for the second round was a young teenager from Sinnoh who was taking the gym challenge in Hoenn. We took the field for the coin toss.

He won and opted to go first for out battle which I found odd. The people who would intentionally go first were usually the ones who were setting up hazards, getting a hit in with U-Turn or Volt Switch, or were confident in their abilities to win off the bat.

"Luxray, I choose you!" my opponent yelled once the referee gave the signal to start.

An intimidating Pokémon stood at attention waiting for a command. From what I remembered while doing research on it, Luxray was a plain electric type. Its versatility as a mixed attacker caused some problems in the Sinnoh League dating back to the first year they started keeping data. I figured the best option would be to play the type game a little bit differently.

"Roserade, you're up!"

His facial expression went from calm to disgusted. My best guess was that he wanted me to send out a ground type to deal with it. Luxray's pupils went from normal to razor thin causing Roserade to back up a step while trembling. Intimidate was probably its ability because there are scarier looking Pokémon that are common in Hoenn like Mightyena. Heck, even a Masquerain is scarier.

"Roserade versus Luxray. Battle!"

Not only did I have the initial type advantage, I had my ideal lead Pokémon. "Toxic Spikes!"

"Not so fast! Roar!"

Poisonous spikes were scattered about before Luxray started to inhale. Once the roaring started, Roserade sprinted to my side and tried to hide behind me. Luxray continued and Roserade hit the closest ball to it before tapping the center of its own ball. The rash decision resulted in Aggron being sent out instead.

"Well, it's not the worst thing that could've happened," I mumbled to myself.

My opponent was one step above upset. "Dammit! I thought it would go back before a layer was set."

Our referee threw the flags up. "Aggron versus Luxray. Go!"

"Thunderbolt!"

"Don't let it have a clean shot! Use Rock Slide!"

Aggron stomped the ground once to send a flurry of smaller rocks into the air then did it again for ammunition. He started throwing rocks the size of my head at Luxray hoping for a hit. Unfortunately, the electric type was fast enough to weave its way out of immediate trouble. It couldn't get a strong Thunderbolt off, but it still caused some damage.

"Keep throwing those rocks!" I ordered hoping one would hit.

"Work your way for a good angle and fire another Thunderbolt! Use Crunch if the rocks get too close!"

Meticulous battling turned into gym class dodgeball as rock after rock was chucked across the field. Luxray moved horizontally to keep its vertical distance the same. A step back would result in a longer distance for Thunderbolt to travel while a step closer would mean less reaction time to dodge the rocks. After one rock clipped Luxray's leg, it started to move in a different direction.

"Double-Edge!" I ordered after seeing Luxray moving slower than normal. Aggron ran ahead as fast as he could.

"Zap it with Thunderbolt!"

A stream of electricity connected with Aggron while he charged. It didn't seem to stop my Pokémon and he ended up throwing his full weight into the attack. Luxray took a direct hit and was launched back; its head hit the ground first with a loud thud.

"Luxray is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"

I would've preferred that Roserade stay in as long as possible, but it was hard to argue about the result. My opponent was visibly frustrated about losing Luxray plus his next Pokémon could be poisoned. The crowd was getting in on the action by chanting Aggron's name. Our referee motioned for the battle to continue.

"Drapion, get out here!"

A large, purple scorpion Pokémon materialized with a grin. It took one look at the ground before rolling around in the poisonous spikes like they weren't threatening. My eyes went wide when the spikes were absorbed into its body; my work from earlier was gone in seconds. I was also concerned about what my opponent had up his sleeve; I had a major type advantage.

"Aggron versus Drapion. Begin!"

I needed to put him on the defense. "Iron Tail!"

"Crunch!" Surprisingly, Aggron's tail didn't break its teeth even though they were enhanced. "Release and use Fire Fang!" The close-range attack was unavoidable as it bit Aggron's arm.

"Slam it to the ground!" His arm flailed but Drapion didn't let go. "Pin it on the ground then use Iron Head!"

"Let go now then use Brick Break! Aim for the stomach" I knew he wasn't dumb enough to send it out without a move to deal heavy damage.

The release came well before Aggron had a chance to bring it to the ground. A claw turned bright before the attack found its mark. It was effective in damage and temporarily knocking the wind out of my Pokémon. Aggron didn't appreciate the attack and retreated near some rocks to start throwing. There was no going back after he started running around the field while throwing them like a snowball fight. He landed a shot to the midsection after he got close enough.

"Iron Tail!"

"Brick Break!" He added a little more power behind Iron Tail because Brick Break didn't stop the attack. Drapion still took the brunt of the attack and slid across the field. "Again!"

"Iron Head!"

Aggron waited until Drapion took a few steps forward to start running. Instead of taking a defensive approach, the hybrid poison and dark type raised its arm looking for a knockout blow; poor decision. My Pokémon lowered its head for the area where Drapion's body connected to its neck. The hit was a near knockout, but Aggron kept driving forward until he rammed the nearly unconscious Pokémon into the wall.

"Drapion is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"

The crowd was split into three distinct groups after Aggron walked away. Cheers and boos were coming from all over the arena while some people left their seats. Despite my battle style of using the surrounding area to my advantage, I didn't order a complete beatdown; Zigzagoon never did that unless I ordered for that maneuver. My other concern was how brutal it was to look at and listen to. I suddenly realized that maybe I should limit wall slamming to self-defense only instead of a finishing technique. The one saving grace was that Aggron immediately let up.

"I know I can't recover from this deficit, so the least I can do is teach your Pokémon some manners. One traumatizing experience, coming up. Mismagius, go!"

What came out was a Pokémon that would probably be better suited for a witch's assistant than a trainer. Ghost type? Check. Mischievous laugh? Check. Part of the body shaped like a pointy hat? Big check. I didn't remember what moves were popular aside from Shadow Ball which was a problem. Keeping Aggron in was ideal since he was on a roll.

"Aggron versus Mismagius. Begin!"

"Perish Song!"

Whatever it sang, the pitch made us cringe. Aggron covered his head then let his arms dangle as if it was pointless to resist the sound. He stood still facing the ghost type long after the song ended.

"Hey! You good?" That snapped him out of his trance. "Use Rock Slide!"

"Protect!"

Blue lights formed around Mismagius and it was eventually encased in a ball. Aggron stomped on the ground again to send chunks flying at it; they bounced off harmlessly. Some notes echoed throughout the field after the onslaught was over.

"Iron Head!"

"Protect yourself again!" The barrier took more time to form but still prevented any damage. "Shadow Ball! Quickly!" An easy hit was followed by another delayed echo; Aggron's time was running out.

"Enough bullshitting around! Aggron, Iron Tail!"

"You never learn, do you? Protect!"

His strategy failed as the barrier never formed. Iron Tail scored a direct blow and sent the ghost type skidding across the ground. It tried to float again only to fall. The song started to play again but immediately stopped as the referee raised the flag. My opponent willingly accepted his defeat.

"Mismagius is unable to battle. Aggron wins! This match is over!" I immediately recalled Aggron then went to midfield for a handshake.

"Good battling. Sorry about the second round. I don't know why Aggron was over the top."

He squeezed my hand and leaned closer to me. "You're a terrible trainer. You know that? I literally told you I was going to traumatize your Pokémon and you kept it in. You control your Pokémon, not the other way around. Put your damn pride aside next time," he whispered.

I returned the favor. "I'm a terrible trainer? What moron uses Parish Song with only one Pokémon left in the first place? So what if it was 'supposed to teach Aggron a lesson' or whatever you said."

He glared at me. "How in the world did you get in this tournament? I pity your Pokémon for having a trainer who can't get them out of obvious danger. Consider yourself lucky that Parish Song didn't work as intended."

I didn't want to entertain him anymore. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." We left with no further incident.

Matches from the rest of the day finished up and the bracket for day two was posted. Four other employees remained which was a little nerve wracking to see; the pressure to win felt greater than at the start. I shuddered at the thought of nobody in the company taking home any cash.

My next opponent was the trainer who was called "Seven" because he never gave the staff his real name. It hit me that he was the winner of Mister V's tournament the night I went to the facility after losing my job. Seven had already won the 250,000P tournament on opening weekend. Rentals weren't his style and his Pokémon back at the facility were top tier. With day one of the tournament over, the battle dome's field would be fixed for tomorrow.

I had time to think of a plan to take him down.


	12. Questionable Decisions

It was dusk by the time I dragged myself out of Lostelle's. The tournament had garnered some media attention since Gabby was interviewing trainers who won their matches. After the Latios story, I lost some respect for her because she ran with a poorly lit photo as hard evidence. Nothing ever came of the story since that night which was probably for the best.

The Pokémon Center wasn't too busy as I healed my teammates after a job well done. Nobody was at the computer which allowed me to kill some time. I kept replaying Gabby's interview in my head and I decided to look up more information on the Eon duo. Having behavioral data on Latios and Latias would potentially save me if I managed to run into them at a bad time.

Data about the duo spanned hundreds of years despite supposed limited human contact. Latios' general characteristics were that it didn't like to fight and it would only intentionally show itself to trainers it deemed worthy. It could understand human speech, explore a human's mind, show its own memories to anyone it wanted at will, and had the potential to fly faster than a jet. Even notes from long ago mentioned headaches no matter if the communication was in good faith or not.

Latias as a species were equally as intelligent when it came to understanding humans. A major difference concerning interaction was that it would let out a shrill cry in the face of danger or hostility. The opponent would either become intimidated or would cover their ears while Latias escaped. Another way to escape was its ability to refract light to make it appear invisible. Seeing Latios was a treat, but catching a glimpse of a Latias would be nearly impossible. After jotting down the notes, I returned my Pokémon then went back to my apartment.

Despite the general area being only a step above where I grew up in terms of overall quality, it was a lot safer. Being close to Lostelle's made for a lot of tourist foot traffic. People usually travelled in groups so traveling by myself wasn't much of an issue anymore. Surveillance cameras were scattered about the complex and people living near me were more likely to call the police if something was off. All that aside, I liked coming back to a quiet apartment as opposed to four other family members.

"Finally home! Time to get out of these clothes." Although wearing a three-piece suit was great for my confidence, it got uncomfortable after a few hours. I stared at my belt after I threw it on the bed. "Everyone's probably happy to have a different view from their ball. Now it's time to talk. Aggron, come out," I sighed.

Despite being nearly a foot taller than me, he still fit in the apartment. His weight of nearly 800 pounds didn't bother me because I imagined if I threw a small party, my guests' weight combined would probably be more than 800 pounds. I think he understood that anything other than a slow walk was a potential for disaster. Another feeling I got from him was that he liked the place, but was probably going to sleep in his ball.

"Good job today, but why did you go overboard against Drapion? There was no reason to drive it into the wall." He rolled his eyes then brought his arm to knee height. After shaking his head, he moved his arm above his head then flexed both arms. "I get that you're a lot stronger now, but you can't just toss your weight so freely. What if you took a Brick Break before you ran into the wall?" A grunt was his response.

It was apparent that the transition from Lairon to Aggron was something I wasn't completely prepared for. Although Linoone and Magneton's power increased, they still listened to me and didn't let the boost in power go to their head. Something must've happened at Pokémon Services to make my newest member upset aside from not being allowed to evolve. Or maybe Aggron as a species were more temperamental.

"Look… we have to go back tomorrow to face more strong trainers. In the meantime, I'll let you meet Linoone and Magneton. Welcome to the team!" I let them talk in my bedroom while I sat in the living room in front of the television to study for Seven. The tournament was shown live on a pay per view channel that allowed me to pause, rewind, and fast forward however I wanted for a 24-hour period.

His performance was as solid as on the night I met Mister V. Fully evolved Pokémon that took him to Ever Grande City were stronger than my rentals, so I was already at a disadvantage. Slaking was his heavy hitter with Slash and Counter being the only moves used when it appeared. Dusknoir was annoying with Trick Room to go with Shadow Ball, Psychic, and Pain Split. Mega Swampert was another problem with only Earthquake and Muddy Water as its only moves used. The odd one out was a Pokémon called Turtonator that only used Overheat in combination with a White Herb; he must've travelled since I saw him last. Seven didn't have to use any other Pokémon in his two wins.

My plan was to start with Roserade again if I won the coin toss. Nothing he had would be likely to use Rapid Spin or Defog to eliminate Toxic Spikes to my knowledge. Aggron was a good choice to handle Slaking while Starmie could hit everything. Magneton had an ability to cause problems against Dusknoir. It pained me to leave out Linoone because he was just too weak; Dodrio could hit harder.

I went back to my room when I had enough of planning to sleep. Linoone was at the foot of my bed like usual; Aggron and Magneton let themselves back in their balls. I went to bed wondering how strong I  _really_ was.

Our showdown was slated for noon as the opening battle of day two. Linoone was eager to go as got ready. My decision to keep him on the bench almost changed, but I mentally stood my ground; he still got a rub on the head before I recalled him. Ringing came from my PokéNav as I left for Lostelle's.

"Hello?"

"You're leaving from your apartment in the southwest part of the city soon, right? Wait outside the casino for me," the bodyguard bluntly stated.

I had called the reception desk in the past for other work-related things, but this was the first time someone from the company called me first. I also didn't think anyone at Pokémon Services would actually remember where I lived. All those jokes I made about my apartment complex were taken more seriously than I thought. I never mentioned the exact room number so it wasn't like anyone was coming to my door.

"Will do."

The weather looked threatening with dark clouds covering the city on the way over. A few people had their umbrellas ready in case of a sudden downpour as I prayed that it would hold up. When I was under the awning, my coworkers who weren't eliminated showed up one by one. Jon Doe arrived holding tiny pieces of paper.

"Congratulations on making it to day two. The boss has decided to take some precautionary measures in the event one of you win. These pieces of paper have the big pool account pin number to wire the money to. If you needed some cash, it's empty now. Don't waste your time.

"Wouldn't it be easier to deposit it in  _our_  company accounts?" someone I never saw asked.

The bodyguard pouted. "Mister V will arrive around the finals then verify the transaction with the winner. This was the same procedure for the 250,000P prize, but Seven was the only trainer left in the later rounds. Anyway, the pin will be changed after the finals. Good luck to everyone."

Paranoia washing over my boss was something I never thought I would hear about. He had his moments of frustration, but he had been mentally stable since opening day. The sudden change added more pressure for us to perform; everyone losing would probably give him an aneurysm.

After getting cleared by security, I patiently sat in the green room until the stagehand gave the cue to stand by the door. Seven was all business like every other employee which made it easy for me not to talk to him. Our pomp and circumstance introduction was a nice touch for it being a round of 32 match. We were called in for the coin toss once the referee settled in.

"No rule changes were made from yesterday." She turned to me. "Poké Ball is heads, Lostelle's logo is tails. Call it."

"Heads." She flipped it and it landed on the ground.

"Tails is the result." Her attention turned to Seven. "What would you like to do?"

"Go second," he calmly replied.

"Alright. Shake hands then go back to your boxes. Let's have a good match, gentlemen."

I was surprised Seven shook my hand with a genuine smile. He had more class than my other coworkers combined for a person who was undeniably strong. It would've been easy for him to treat me like a scrub. The crowd rose to its feet as I reached for my belt.

"Roserade, you're up!" Hazard control was the one thing I wanted most of all.

"You're going to get only our best. Let's go Slaking!"

The large Pokémon sprawled out on its side of the field then laid its head on its left hand; it looked like a model waiting to be painted. I figured he would lead with anything but that; my strategy needed a change.

"Roserade versus Slaking. Begin!"

"Grass Whistle!" A soothing melody echoed around the field, but it didn't seem to have an effect.

"Slash!" Seven ordered with confidence.

Slaking hopped up then charged across the field faster than anyone expected to deliver a powerful blow. Roserade somehow managed to stand up. My opponent's Pokémon went back to resting on its side as if nothing happened.

"Leech Seed!"

With Slaking loafing around due to its Truant ability, it was an easy target. Bulbs landed in the ground near its body then vines wrapped around its body to sap energy out of it. Roserade stuck an arm in the ground to get some strength back.

"Clever, but it's not good enough. Slash again!" It easily broke out of the vines to land another hit that send the grass and poison type to the ground in a heap.

"Roserade is unable to battle. Slaking wins!"

That round was the quickest I've been a part of in a long time. Even though I studied before the battle, I still underestimated how dangerous Slaking was. Truant was going to be in effect when I sent out my next Pokémon.

"Magneton, I choose you!"

Keeping the pressure up by being annoying was the only shot I had to whittle it down or force a switch. None of my Pokémon would be able to deal a big enough hit to make a difference. Dodrio and Aggron would get dominated by Counter if it lived their attacks, Starmie was a risky choice since Hydro Pump wasn't as accurate as I wanted, and Linoone was a waste of a slot.

"Next round is Magneton versus Slaking. Go!"

Slaking showed no signs of moving. "Metal Sound!" I ordered hoping to land a heavy hit next turn. A frequency was emitted from its magnets and Slaking wasn't happy to hear it.

"Use Slash to stop it!" Seven yelled hoping his command would get through.

The normal type first slammed its arms down in an attempt to intimidate Magneton. Unfortunately for my opponents, having a carefree attitude about battling made Slaking's threat worthless. When it saw Magneton wasn't going to give up, it quickly jumped across the field to land another powerful blow. I didn't think Sturdy saved it, but Slash had my Pokémon struggling to get up.

"Tri Attack!"

A large triangle formed in front of Magneton before it sent the attack right to Slaking's stomach. Wincing followed after some sparks flew from the normal type's body; I got the paralysis. The status condition was something I needed to turn the battle around. The damage I had done was nowhere near enough to make it faint. It went back to loafing around.

"Try Flash Cannon!" Magneton scored a direct hit, but it still wasn't enough.

"You know the drill, Slaking! Slash!"

"Dodge!"

Paralysis didn't kick in which allowed it to freely move. It still boggled my mind how a Pokémon so large could move so quickly. Magneton couldn't outrun it or hover away and a Spark attack on its own wasn't enough to deter Slaking from attacking. The hit sent it hard to the ground.

"Magneton is unable to battle. Slaking wins!"

Unbelievable… a normal type move took down a steel type. Not only that, it was the  _only_  move Seven commanded. I didn't learn anything new and I got manhandled. Forfeiting crossed my mind, but then what? I'd probably get yelled at by my boss, get made fun of by my coworkers, maybe even get fired. Unlike my battle with Mister V, I still had a chance to come back.

Aggron was by far the heaviest hitter on my team and had a lot of defense to handle Slaking. One Iron Tail could easily put the pressure on him. Dusknoir wouldn't be able to do much and Turtonator wouldn't appreciate Rock Slide. Mega Swampert was probably going to be his next choice since it had the type advantage. If Aggron got off one Double-Edge, I think it would be enough for a knockout.

"We're not done yet! Aggron, I choose you!"

Seven shook his head. "You could not be more wrong. Barring a miracle, I'll win."

I didn't back down. "I've already thought about my options and decided to put my faith Aggron."

"Then I'll shatter your faith since you can't see the writing on the wall," he shot back.

"You're telling me you don't believe in miracles?"

He looked agitated. "Oh, I do… which is why my job is to prevent them. I'm all for a strategic battle with a little luck mixed in because that's how it goes sometime, but I'm not having a repeat of last year's first round at the Hoenn League. That will never happen again. Now are we going to battle or not?"

"Bring it on!"

"Aggron versus Slaking. Start!"

Again, Truant played to my advantage. "Iron Tail!" The attack looked even stronger than the previous swipes Slaking did. In fact, the lazy Pokémon slid across the ground. "Ram into it with Iron Head!" Aggron ran with a full head of steam. Seven didn't order a command until it was a few steps away.

"Hammer Arm!" My heart sank.

Slaking raised its fist then swung down as hard as it could when Aggron was close enough to it. His head was slammed into the ground and the impact created a small crater in the field where his body went limp. Some sections of the crowd yelled in horror while others simply turned away. A quiet yet audible moaning came from the crater after a minute; I had no idea how Aggron was alive after that. Maybe using Iron Head provided extra protection or maybe his Rock Head ability was a factor. If that was a weaker Pokémon in that situation, the hit would've been fatal.

"Aggron is unable to battle. Slaking wins! This match is over!"

I immediately recalled Aggron to keep his condition stable. Seven didn't say a word after the round ended or when we shook hands. He gave me a stern look before walking off the field. That might have been his way of telling me that I was too naïve for thinking I could come back. I sprinted to the portable healing machine in the conference room to ensure he would recover faster. With my elimination being swift and it was early afternoon, I was free to do whatever I wanted.

Buffet food took some of the edge off as most of my team had seconds or in Aggron's case, thirds. Frustration was written all over his face the entire time and eating made him feel somewhat better. Roserade didn't seem to be affected from the loss and neither did Magneton. Dodrio and Starmie were also indifferent. Linoone was the least happy member despite not seeing the field during my run.

"Look guys, I'm sorry we didn't win. I didn't know Slaking would be that strong." Everyone except Linoone and Aggron accepted my apology. "I can talk about this with you two later. Get some rest for now. I need a break myself."

Going outside was out of the question when I made it to the entrance due to a torrential downpour. I had hoped the rain would be lighter, but I guess that was too much to ask for. With nowhere to go and a lot of time to kill, gambling was the best thing to do. Playing for a long period of time was something I hadn't done in a long time since I was more inclined to go home after battling all day. After unbuttoning the top button and loosening my tie, I hit the gaming floor.

Carefree was the best way to describe how I handled the next three hours. I started playing in the trainer area to limit my spending until I got tired of gambling for coins. One 10,000P transfer from my personal account to my player's card later, I felt like a high roller. Video poker was a good start, but I didn't feel the gratification of slowly winning money. Even slowly losing money was painful. The blackjack tables were calling my name after I got my card's value in cash.

I had stayed at one table for over an hour talking with other players or chatting it up with the dealer. One player who liked my conversation even bought a drink for me after recognizing I battled yesterday. Joked about needing a strong drink to forget my loss, but the player didn't see it as a joke. Oran Berry juice with four shots of vodka over ice was one hell of a drink; it got me buzzed faster than I thought. I ordered a bottled beer for myself when I left the table to keep the buzz going even though I was down 3,000P. Flashing roulette towers caught my eye while wandering round the floor.

I picked a table that had a small group of people to continue the small talk with. They were quiet at first until I ordered a round of drinks for them. Round after round went by until my deficit turned into profit. My original 10,000 starting point peaked to 15,000 then dipped to 12,000 with a combination of playing and ordering drinks. Placing bets without any rhyme or reason while made for the most fun I had in a long time.

"Sir, are you okay? Maybe you should take a break," the dealer said to me. I caught myself swaying a little bit.

I had a stupid grin on my face to go with tired eyes. "Nah."

"Need some water?"

"I don't know. Do I?" He talked into his radio then a security guard showed up.

"How are we doing?" the guard casually asked.

"Pretty gooooood," I slurred.

He turned to the dealer. "Is everything okay here?"

"He's drunk but not causing a problem. Really nice guy; bought everyone a round or two of drinks. Just encourage him to drink the water and eat the cereal bar I asked for."

They shrugged their shoulders then the guard turned to me. "You're sweating up a storm. Take this water bottle. On the house." The cold bottle felt good in my warm hands.

"Thanks!" I chugged as much as I could in one gulp then devoured the food. "Oh fuck… that's good."

"Just uh… pace yourself."

I took his advice and eased up on the alcohol although I was still buzzed. Not placing any bets brought my attention to the little white ball. Seeing it being spun every few minutes turned me into a small child; I was constantly mesmerized by its movement. When I sobered up a little, I went back to placing bets and ordered another strong mixed drink.

For better or worse, I was still physically in control of myself. No urge to vomit, no urge to fall asleep on the floor, I could still read the values of my chips or the display board without squinting, a slight wobble that could be corrected if I noticed, and I was aware of people's personal space. Mentally speaking, the alcohol from earlier had already started to cloud my decision making.

Each bet I placed before my new drink arrived was on the safe side. Red versus black, even versus odd, or an entire row of numbers were more likely to earn me money; it worked. Then my self-control started to fade even more after the first sip. The amount I was betting per round quickly increased and my idea of simple pleasure turned into a roller coaster ride with every spin of the ball. My chip pile grew to 25,000P after four straight winning rounds.

"Oh boy, I'm feeling good with this one. I'm thinking 5,000 on red."

A few people walking by overheard me and decided to take an interest in the next spin. I was somewhat blocked by the crowd visually and I had trouble hearing the dealer. I resorted to looking up at the board above the table for the result. A red "14" flashed after a few seconds; another win.

Feeling even more confident by my fifth straight win and the alcohol doing its thing, I threw 20,000 down on the row featuring 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36. Lady luck was on my side as "12" flashed on the board again. I was up to 70,000P with a crowd of a dozen or so people cheering me on and a drink in hand. I finished whatever was left in one swig then slammed in on an empty cocktail tray next to me.

"I'm putting 60,000 on red 21." The crowd gasped at the bold bet while the dealer stared at me. I thought it was to give me time to think about my decision, but I slowly moved my chips into place. Nobody else in the group placed a bet. It was eerie to see a lone stack of chips on the large felt table.

"Give me one second." He got a security guard to come over by waving. "Get a floor manager out here; kid's just put down 60,000 on one number."

Pulling my wager from the table was an option since the ball hadn't been spun. The possibility of doing it crossed my mind as a floor manager made her way over. I was up 60,000 only to risk it on one spin. Then again, I had a nice streak going.

"All set? Spin."

The sound of the ball rattling around the circle seemed louder than normal. Zoning out and focusing on the ball became easier to do once it slid down the side. Bouncing around the wheel made me take sharp breaths until it got close to the section of 18, 6, 21, 33, and 16. I held my breath as it took small bounces and landed in a groove.

"Red 21," the dealer calmly said.

Everybody at the table erupted into hysteria while I stood there staring at the wheel. There was no way I won, right? The odds on one square were 35 to 1 and I was too drunk to even estimate my winnings. Something clicked in my head after I saw the chips start to stack up.

"I'm going to cash out now," I whispered. The floor manager and security guard received a voucher before escorting me to Lostelle's office above the casino floor. She was going through the books when I sat down on a couch.

"What's going on?"

"We have our first millionaire winner in one play."

She leaned forward. "How did it happen?"

"Roulette table six. You can roll back the footage if you want."

"That won't be necessary. Did you give him a voucher?"

I haphazardly took it out. "It's here. Can I pleeeeeeease get my money now?" I slurred.

"Sober up for another half hour and then we'll talk. Drink some water, eat some of my crackers, and lie down." I let out an annoyed moan as everything was handed to me.

Processing the thought of me being a millionaire was still hard to do. What did people do with that much money? Did I have to work another day in my life? At least I had enough to fund a long journey. Lostelle kept her word after a timer went off. I was more cohierent although still note completely sober; she gave me a small test and I passed.

"Congratulations on winning such a large payout. You bet 60,000 and the odds were 35 to 1 which means your winnings are 2,100,000. After taxes, you're still technically a multimillionaire."

"How… how much are taxes?" I nervously asked. I knew I had some taken out for my previous jobs, but I had no idea it would happen for jackpots.

"The rate that the league uses for game corners across the world is 25%. I already filled out some of the paperwork for you while you were resting."

"Let me see it." She handed it over.

The tax rate cut my winnings down to 1,575,000 which was still more than enough to last a journey. Seeing the number on paper eased my mind about making it last for a long time. I signed the dotted line with full knowledge of what was going on.

"All set. It's around 4:15 so we can close the deal today if you have a bank you'd like to go to. You'll walk over with a member of security and myself."

"Perfect. Do you have an umbrella? It's probably still raining."

We left out a back door then headed to the center of the city where the bank was in the pouring rain. Only two tellers and the manager were inside when we walked in. Lostelle immediately took charge by talking to the manager. I was waved into a back office to confirm everything. Aside from showing my identification, I just sat still in awe seeing the money being counted in front of me before cringing at the piles moved away because of the tax.

"The change in your balance will be reflected tomorrow morning. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"Nope."

"Alrighty. Have a good rest of the evening." The manager turned to Lostelle. "I appreciate how prepared you were."

She smiled. "My father ran a game corner overseas for years and he's had to deal with a few large payouts. I can't wait for him to come over to Hoenn and see how well it's doing."

The three of us left a few minutes after closing time. Lostelle and the security escort brought me to the lobby entrance before leaving me on my own. Since it was still pouring, I walked back in.

Apparently, something had happened with the battle tournament because they were starting the semifinals instead of being done. By the look of the field, I guessed that the crew had to do a lot more repair work to keep it decent condition; it looked like an unkept schoolyard field at best. I made a run for the bathroom then went to the battle dome. It was standing room only, so I made the most of it by ordering a beer. I intended to have a good time after my huge win.

My excitement built back up with each round of the first semifinal as Seven pulled out a close 1-0 win. I turned into a little kid when the second semifinal battle started; all the seriousness regarding observation was replaced with watching for fun. After the first Pokémon fell, I ordered a mixed drink to get the buzz going again. It kicked in a lot faster than any other drink from earlier in the day.

Seven met his match in the finals as his opponent forced overtime. Anxiety gripped his opponent while he played it cool. His Mega Swampert easily dominated a Gallade thanks to a combination of Rain Dance and Swift Swim to deliver huge hits faster than normal. As upset as I was that he beat me, I cheered for him when Lostelle presented the novelty 500,000P check. I mingled around the lobby in the hopes of catching Seven to congratulate him afterward, but I heard another voice yelling in the hallway.

"What!? You can only wire the money!?" It was Mister V. I did my best to hide behind a corner while peeking my head out. The last thing I would want was for him to see me so drunk.

"Sir, please calm down. Your bank can work everything out tomorrow when they are open," a manager replied. They walked closer to my location and lowered their voices; I moved closer to a crowd.

"You didn't see anything, right!?"

"I saw nothing. You and your friend here were the only two people who had anything to do with your concern. With all due respect, we don't have any reason to take any money out of our customer's accounts." They continued talking while I snuck away deeper into the gaming floor.

I eventually sat at a video poker machine because I could play and drink at my own pace regardless if I thought it was boring. The location in the back corner was a more relaxing atmosphere in a normally chaotic place. Between the mind-numbing sound effects and flashing lights, I stayed there for two hours. I finished my fifth drink since I dropped my money off then carried my sixth before moving to the slots.

"Ah shit… need to reload my player's card," I whispered to myself as I took a sip. I stumbled to the nearest ATM and my mind went blank when I inserted my bank card. "Fuck… what was my pin number?" The incorrect guesses were entered incorrectly so fast that it locked me out.

"Maybe try a different one," a passerby said after I groaned.

"Noooooo! I like… I like this one," I whined. "Wait, I think I got it. I dug in my pockets and pulled out a paper with a four-digit code. "Now we're fucking cooking."

"Holy shit! You have 400,000P lying around?"

"Huh? I'm a millionaire!"

"Yeah, sure you are."

"Whatever. I'll put 50,000 on my card and take the rest out later." I went back to the slots with a loaded card.

I started with the minimum bet only to realize that got me one horizontal line and a poor chance of winning. With the maximum bet, I got three horizontal lines and two diagonal lines that could add up if I won on both lines. Unfortunately, my luck wasn't as good with the slots as I eventually ran out of money. The table games were calling my name again; I took out 150,000P.

Blackjack was a little kinder to my self-esteem between the playing and the comradery. I felt more comfortable about being in the open after ordering a round or two of drinks for everyone at the table. The dealer made the experience much better as we played the night away. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe I was tired from an exhausting day, but I didn't feel too bad about losing all my money a second time. The third trip to the ATM was my last one as I pulled the last 200,000 out before heading to the same roulette table I won on.

"Hey, he's back! Still got the lucky suit on?" the dealer rhetorically asked.

"Yeah!"

"Been drinking water?"

"Yes. Booze too. I'm fucking plastered, but I think I'm doing a good job," I murmured.

He shook his head. "Keep it under control or you'll be gone."

"Gotcha. Now I wanna play," I said with a stupid grin on my face.

Nighttime must've come quicker than I thought because it got crowded in a hurry. As usual, I bought a beer for everyone once I felt there was enough people to warrant it. I wanted to rekindle the feeling of winning another single number jackpot.

"Hey man, I'm too tired to move. Can you put 20,000 on double zero?" I said to a guy to my right.

"Okay."

"Wait! Zero."

"Zero or double zero?"

"Fuck it, 20,000 on each," I sighed. The ball landed on red 32. "Dammit. How about 10,000 on 32?"

"You got it."

Our dealer waited for the ball to stop bouncing. "Black 22."

"Woo! Big winner," I cheered. A female player tapped my shoulder.

"No. You wanted 32."

I looked at my chips being taken away. "Oops. We'll get it next round. How about 15,000 on 22." The dealer shot me a concerned look then waved across the room.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave for your own safety. You're just betting huge amounts of money on whatever the previous result was with no thought whatsoever. Quit before it gets worse." I threw my hands up and wobbled in place.

"Hold on hold on... let me finish my drink."

"How about we get you home instead?"

"Oh… okay."

Security helped me walk to the nearest drinking fountain then the main lobby. Getting me off the floor meant I had more than enough money to ask the guard to buy me a plate of food from the buffet. It was closing in on midnight when I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I went from feeling sluggish to feeling relieved and dying to go to bed.

Rainfall was light yet steady on the way home. The usual surge of people coming and going allowed me to walk a few blocks without the need for a Pokémon. When the crowd thinned, I called out Magneton for the rest of the walk home. Only one person asked me for directions to which I played dumb. The feeling of opening my apartment door was only rivaled by taking a long shower. Falling asleep never felt so good after I recalled Magneton.

Morning came too soon for my liking as I was still tired when the sun filtered through the blinds and a dull noise could be heard from where I put my suit. I was out cold until 11:30am to make up for waking up early. I took another shower to completely wake up before eating breakfast in a pair of baggy shorts. The dull ringing happened again as I was getting ready to relax so I had to dig out my PokéNav from under a clothes pile.

"Hello?"

"Ryan! I've been trying to call you! Where the hell are you!?" It was Mister V. "Get your ass over here now! If you don't bring those rental Pokémon back to my office, you're in for a world of hurt!" He slammed the phone down before I got a chance to respond.

"Rental Pokémon? I returned them… didn't I?" I said, trying to make myself feel better.

My stomach nearly bottomed out when I saw six Poké Balls on my belt. I thought I returned them after my loss, but that wasn't the case. I sprinted most of the way then casually walked the length of the street the building was on to get my breathing under control. Most of the staff was leaving or moving around for a lunch break when I saw a familiar face.

"Maddie?" I said before she turned a corner. "Holy shit, you work here?"

"Hey! How's it going?"

She either didn't know any of my accolades or didn't care enough to ask. "Pretty good. Just have to check on something today."

"Can I talk to you later about something in private? Now's not the right time," she whispered.

"Sure. I'll call you after I'm done with work." Maddie slipped me a piece of paper as her coworkers urged her to go to the in-house café.

"See you later."

I walked up the reception desk. "Mister V's in, right?" I sighed.

"Yes. Go see him."

His anger over the phone was the worst I have ever heard in my time working for him. My walk to his office felt like I was a prisoner on death row. One of the simplest parts of the job was neglected and there were no excuses for my actions. He wore his usual sunglasses and cloaks when I walked in.

"Hand over the rentals immediately," he growled. The three Poké Balls were placed on his desk. Each Pokémon was called out and inspected. "All of them are healed so you saved yourself on one point. I want to know what was so damn important that you forgot to return them."

"I was playing in the game corner after I lost to Seven and lost track of time." He grabbed my shirt then got in my face.

"What!? That was your reason!?" I didn't respond because I wasn't sure if I could say anything to make the situation better. My boss shoved me back a few feet. "If you want to keep your job, I suggest you listen to something I want you to do."

"Yes sir," I sternly replied.

"I thought so. What I need you to do is go to Fallarbor Town today to meet up with my bodyguard at the Pokémon Center. From there, you'll go to Meteor Falls. Do you understand everything so far?"

"Yes sir."

"Since you need a lesson in responsibility, you'll be only using two of our Pokémon to accompany you on your journey. You will leave your Pokémon home. They won't be strong enough for what I want you to do. If you get to Fallarbor Town and there are more than those two on your belt, you will be fired by my bodyguard. Are there any questions?"

"What time do you want me to leave?"

"Good question. I'll give you two hours to prepare for the trek. Come back here to receive your Pokémon. Anything else?"

"No sir."

"Excellent! Your prep time starts now." I walked out then took deep breaths the entire way back to my apartment.

My backpack was fully stocked with various healing items for the long trip up along with other essentials like my wallet, keys, badge, and Maddie's paper in case I had time to read it. A pair of hiking pants that could turn into shorts by unzipping at the knees, a simple short sleeve shirt, and a thick windbreaker would be adequate attire for being up in the mountains. I made it halfway out the door before looking back at my Poké Balls.

Regardless of how comfortable I was living in the complex, I still didn't think it was safe to leave them behind locked doors. Depositing them all in Lanette's PC system wasn't ideal because I needed one Pokémon on me to deposit the my other three and I didn't have time to search for something in the surrounding routes. Even then, I still had a Pokémon on me. My original home seemed like a better place to store them. The jog to my old neighborhood gave me sudden homesickness.

I've stayed in touch with my parents ever since I moved out, but it wasn't the same as living with them. Mom was at the third stage of the interview process for the assistant manager position going against four other candidates while dad was holding steady. They told me Lucas moved closer to the top of the amateur Pokéathlon team while Sadie was still adjusting to the Weather Institute's workload.

Nobody was home since it was early afternoon although I still had a house key to get in. The place hadn't changed much aside from our bedrooms being cleaned. I wrote a note on the kitchen table mentioning that I was going away and needed to leave my Pokémon here for a few days. To avoid a sudden shock, I called them out.

"Look familiar? That's because we're at our first home." Linoone embraced his old home by rolling around on the floor. "Anyway, I'm leaving you here for a few days because I need to go on a business trip." They gave me blank stares.

"I'm leaving you guys here for a few days," I repeated slowly to make sure I got the point across.

Aggron grunted before turning his back to me, Linoone's facial expression went from happy to sad by the time I was done, and Magneton's magnets pointed to the floor like it was slouching. It hurt to be so blunt, but I didn't want to tell them what Mister V said about them being too weak. The situation seemed worse because my boss was punishing me; I'd take them to Meteor Falls in a heartbeat. I recalled them before walking over to pick up my rental Pokémon.

The receptionist was aware of what I was going through and handed me two Poké Balls. One was for a Skarmory that I was given permission to fly on while the other was a Machop to move boulders or smash rocks along the way if I was more comfortable walking; flying sounded much easier. Getting comfortable on Skarmory took a lot longer than I thought, but it was content with me on its back. Maneuvering through the air surprisingly required my full attention so I couldn't get the chance to read Maddie's note.

We took the shortest route according to the PokéNav by flying northwest at a 45-degree angle. For my first experience in the air, it was pleasant. I was so amused how people looked like tiny dots when we flew over Lavaridge Town. Mount Chimney was easy to navigate because we stayed on the edge as opposed to flying through the heart of it. Within a few hours, we were at Fallarbor Town's Pokémon Center to heal up. Jon Doe was waiting for me in the lobby.

"Glad you could make it. We're burning daylight so let's get moving to Meteor Falls," he bluntly stated. The two of us made our way to route 114.

The surrounding area was surrounded by mountains on the north and a dense forest to the south. Our path going west was somewhat clear considering the rugged terrain. Jon was so quiet and focused that I was afraid to ask what we were doing; we were two miles into the route. I sensed he was also a little agitated about doing whatever task we were assigned. There were a few large houses in the distance up on the rolling hills only to disappear as we walked deeper into the valley. He wanted to rest despite wanting to get to Meteor Falls presumably before dark. I got the chance to look over Maddie's paper after finding a rock to sit on a few feet away from him.

_Something seems off with Pokémon Services. I can't put my finger on it, but here are some observations since I started working there: overly aggressive Pokémon (very few of them and they don't do rehab battles), surgeries that are not warranted and/or excessive, a lot of activity well past closing (only heard noises from locked exam rooms before I left at night), unconfirmed rumors about selling Pokémon, sometimes people are intentionally offering bad advice so trainers have to keep coming back (money grab?), and two distinct groups of employees. One group is dedicated to their craft, the other group would be fired in any Pokémon Center or hospital. It's baffling to say the least._

When I was recruited to work for them, I knew something was off. I was never asked to fill out any paperwork aside from the basic employment contract. I hardly knew what my coworkers looked like or what their real names were too. The doubt that I suppressed all those months ago came to the front of my mind. Jon shot me a glare then took a sip of water from his bottle.

"What's on that paper?"

I slowly put it in my pocket. "Just some notes."

My answer wasn't good enough as he lunged at me and grabbed my arm. He was clearly stronger than me so instead of trying to rip it away before he had a chance to gain footing, I bit his arm out of panic and pulled on his skin for good measure. The sudden pain caused him to let go and I started to run. I had no clue why he suddenly turned on me, but I had no intention of sticking around to ask questions. Going back to town was a good idea until a flash appeared in front of me.

"Mightyena, don't let him get away!" he said while on the ground rubbing his arm.

"Skarmory, get out here and use Drill Peck!"

When Skarmory got in a clean hit, Fire Fang was used in retaliation. My Pokémon sustained a burn and flying away on it wasn't safe. Trying to strategically battle my way out of the situation wasn't in my favor either. I doubt my Machop could win against potentially five other Pokémon and Jon would easily overpower me. Another Drill Peck sent Mightyena flying back and I did the only thing I could do after recalling Skarmory.

Run.

 


	13. Epiphany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some notes after the story that may be of interest. Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, but I do own my OCs.

The only thought in my head was to hide from Jon by running south into the forest. His Mightyena could probably sniff me out over time unless I somehow changed my scent or Jon could use any one of his other Pokémon to help find me. All I saw were small dens, trees, and hollow trunks to hide in; none of those would be enough to cover me completely or get him off my tail. Wild Pokémon ran at the sight of me which made my escape somewhat easier. Any battling would simultaneously give away my location and allow him to catch up.

Although it was warm and humid, I was running out of daylight which made for some interesting scenarios. I could quietly heal Skarmory then fly away hoping he or his Pokémon wouldn't notice me in the air once it got dark. The problem with that was that I've never flown at night. Another positive outcome could be me tiptoeing my way back to town and hope I didn't get caught. The least desirable option was me getting caught. Factors that worked against me every time was that he had more Pokémon and I had no idea what they were. I needed a break from running, so I hid behind a tree hoping he wouldn't find me or he was too far behind for it to matter.

"Okay Skarmory… come out," I huffed, trying to catch my breath. The steel bird was still in pain from its burn. "Healing time. Hold still." It winced while I sprayed a Full Restore over the afflicted area. Calling it back would allow for the injury to heal quicker.

My PokéNav had a hard time getting a signal as I tried to plan an actual escape route. It buffered on a general overview page, but it had a piece of key information. A line of blue ran across the screen with two red triangles mixed in; there were two waterfalls that connected to a larger body of water. If I could follow the stream, I could get closer to Meteor Falls and use the terrain to my advantage if he was still chasing me. The sensory overload from other Pokémon or the area itself could make it harder for his Pokémon to find me by scent.

The forest eventually disappeared as I kept walking west. With practically nowhere to hide, I was constantly watching my back. There was a sign for a "fossil maniac" house to the north that I thought about hiding in until I realized how risky it was. Not only did it go against my plan of going to Meteor Falls, Jon would probably think to look there as well. I saw a small square lake to drink from in the distance.

"Yes!" I quietly said to myself while I cupped water in my hands. "Beats the tap water at home by a mile." I didn't have much time to relax as a figure started to come out of the sky.

"Finally found you!" Jon screamed while riding a Fearow. "Growlithe, Flamethrower!" The fire type came out from behind him then fired after Fearow stopped moving forward. I ran to the side for dear life and knew I didn't have much of a choice.

"Skarmory, let's get out of here!" It materialized before I hopped on. My plan was to escape to the northwest part of route 114 in the mountains above the two waterfalls.

Jon seemingly expected my maneuver as he skillfully handled Fearow close behind. My lack of experience flying showed as I flew at a steady yet slower pace. I tried to bob and weave as Fearow pecked at me instead of Skarmory. One attack nicked my forearm and a sharp pain shot through my body. While I rubbed the spot to ease the pain, he sped up in front of me and tapped Growlithe's back. The moment it opened its mouth was the moment I grabbed Skarmory's neck and pointed it downward. Flamethrower flew through the air faster than a normal one after we nosedived.

Skarmory was out of control and couldn't stabilize itself. I was launched from its back on impact then tumbled across the ground while my Pokémon tried to get back in the air. A few rocks scraped my shoulders and lower back through my jacket before I got the chance to stand up and unzip my coat. A dull pain came over me as I surveyed where I ended up.

I flew fast enough to get to the waterfalls, but not over them. We were on a large ledge between the two and my back was facing the rushing stream. Jon landed in front of me with Growlith itching to attack despite his order to stand still. Fearow obediently stood behind its master keeping an eye on me.

"Honestly, I must give you credit for not flying away immediately and using the surrounding area to hide yourself," he nonchalantly said. "I never understood what Ardos saw in you that night or all these months but now that I've experienced it for myself, I can sympathize with him."

"So that's his real name?" He sighed at what he knew was a slip of the tongue.

"Well, that's another reason I have to kill you."

I folded my arms. "Another reason? I didn't think that forgetting to return rental Pokémon would be a good cause for killing me." He shook his head and folded his arms.

"You should've went home after you lost to Seven yesterday instead of playing around."

"Still don't think having fun after losing to a coworker is grounds for killing me."

"Is that so? Word of your lucky win spread through the casino and you kept it all. Not only that, you gambled away the prize money from Seven's win. In the span of a few hours, the account went from 400,000P to nothing. Ardos doesn't like it when people screw him out of money. We also did a little digging and realized that Lairon you have wasn't supposed to be available to buy. It's amazing how one digit can mean a world of difference. No matter, we'll find a way to get it back."

"Good luck with that," I mumbled under my breath.

"Then there was that note you were looking at. I don't know what was on it, but I'd love to see it. You were a dead man when you woke up this morning."

Yesterday slowly came back to me. The big win at the roulette wheel, the trip to the bank, mental snapshots of the alcohol I drank, and the memory of me pulling out a piece of paper to take out what I thought was my money… except it wasn't. On top of that, 100,000 must've went to Seven's personal account according to the 80/20 ratio. I never gave 80% of my winnings to the company because I was shocked and still somewhat drunk from my winning streak. Jon was right; I screwed them out of over 1,000,000P.

As for Lairon, that made sense. He was reluctant around humans until I kept picking him for battles. Jon's reason to kill me just validated Maddie's concerns. That note was going to stay in my pocket.

"If that was the case, why didn't Ardos didn't kill me when I walked into his office?"

He shrugged. "Too may witnesses. The plan was to bring you out here for a 'job', kill you, make sure you're dead, then dump your body in the stream to let nature take care of the rest. You've done most of the work for me."

I didn't know how to feel about everything once he laid it out. Did I really need to accept the fake assignment knowing I had enough money to start my journey? Was it because I wanted to redeem myself to not get fired from my third job?

"Yes, but I'm still breathing. Your plan doesn't really work if I'm still alive."

"That's going to change right now. Fearow, rip him apart! Growlithe, Shadow Blitz!"

"Skarmory, use Steel Wing! Machop, get out here and use Strength!"

My Pokémon swatted its wings at Fearow and when it found a rhythm, it continued to beat it down. I had no clue what Shadow Blitz was, but it was strong enough to make Machop struggle. Skarmory eventually made its counterpart faint forcing Growlithe to use Flamethrower to protect its fallen comrade. The steel bird took a heavy hit; Machop punched Growlithe to the ground to stop the stream of fire.

"Growlithe, come back to my side! We need to reset. Fearow, return! Mightyena, get out here and wait!" It was still in bad shape, but still posed a threat.

The sudden change of pace worried me. "Be ready to move you two!" Jon's Pokémon stood at attention while he dug through his bag. A lanyard with a gold card was dangling in front of his face.

"I had hoped to beat your Pokémon down, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Skarmory, stand down! Machop, stand down! Come to me."

Both of my teammates relaxed their bodies at the sight of the card then started walking over to the other side of the ledge. Skarmory had a tough time wobbling over while Machop jogged. There were no psychic Pokémon around to play mind tricks on them.

"R-r-return!" I stuttered out of shock. They dodged the red beams the first time then Jon's Pokémon intercepted the beam since they wouldn't be affected. I was staring down four Pokémon and a man who was stronger than me. "Help! Help! Help!" I screamed, praying for someone or something to help me.

"Waste your breath now so you'll have none when you're being attacked? Fine by me. Such a good and loyal employee by leaving your own Pokémon behind too," he taunted. "One of the dumbest ones, too. Growlithe, Flamethrower! Everyone else, wait until the attack is over before charging in."

Time slowed down as I saw the fire type's mouth opened. I could've moved to either side, but then what? It would keep trying to hit me or Jon would order the other three Pokémon to pummel me. There was only one shot I had to live so I took it. I jumped into the rushing water.

The current was still stronger than I thought as I was tossed around like a ragdoll. I struggled to stay afloat and I needed to take off my backpack and windbreaker to lose the weight. After missing a few wet rocks, I managed to grab one down the river to carefully maneuver my gear. The inside of the coat being saturated with water combined with me trying to hold on to the rock eventually led to the river sweeping it away. Jon was stomping around in frustration on the edge of the riverbank when I looked back.

He could risk his life to come after me or do the smart thing and let me stew in my predicament; he chose the latter. Water was on either side of me with the other shoreline too far to swim to in my current state. My grip didn't last long enough for me to take off my backpack. After bumping into more rocks, there were no more obstacles and the sound of the rushing got louder.

I did my best to stay afloat while getting myself ready to go over the second waterfall. Yelling "help" was the only additional thing I could do until that became too exhausting. I had time to notice the landscape over the horizon was beautiful with the sun going down. If I was on the back of a Pokémon that could fly, I could stare at it for hours. Unfortunately, the view didn't last long as I plunged over the edge.

My instincts from diving off the rocks at the beach on route 118 kicked in as I curled into a ball. I had no idea how high up I was, but the fall felt quick and I was at least a few feet underwater from the momentum. The area where I fell was clear of debris except my backpack while trying to swim away from the waterfall and to the surface simultaneously. I let go of it for the extra swimming power.

The flow of the stream continued to move me south at a calmer pace. Completely exhausted and sore, I floated on my back hoping I wouldn't be found. The ledge we were on was covered the large cliff although Jon didn't seem like the type of guy to leave anything to chance if he could help it; he wanted to make sure I was dead. One advantage I had was that his flying types were so worn down, that it would've been dangerous to even fly off the ledge anytime soon.

"Better find some land before it gets completely dark," I said out loud to make sure I still had a voice.

When I felt like I had enough strength to tread water, I continued swimming. Nothing was in sight and the exhaustion came back even worse. Before I could get on my back, a cramp formed in my stomach and I started to drown. My lungs were on fire with my oxygen running out; it only got worse when I took a breath out of desperation. Also, my left arm didn't respond to my desire to swim up. A large thud was heard followed by a sense of being cradled as I started to go unconscious.

Whatever force was at work was on my side as I felt the mountain air touch my head along with minimal parts of my body; I  _was_ being cradled. Rushing wind soon followed as I tried to open my eyes. All the pain and fatigue seemed to go away as I started to fade into a deep sleep. The feeling only got better when I felt a soft patch of land underneath me. Everything seemed peaceful until I felt pressure on my chest followed by a pair of lips on mine. I snapped back to reality once I realized that CPR was being administered. Coughing up the water in my system felt amazing knowing I was out of danger.

"Tha… thank you. Everything happened in a flash and I had to make a quick decision to save my life." A soft humming was the response as I looked up. "Ah!" I yelled as loud as I could while trying to crawl away.

A Latias was bobbing in the air giving me a concerned look. She floated forward a few inches before going back to give me some space. I knew that the Eon Pokémon was intelligent, but I highly doubt it knew what CPR was on its own. Not like I could complain considering it saved my life along with placing me on a tiny island with one big tree.

"You heard my cries, dove into the water, and carried me here?" She nodded while holding up my backpack. "Again, thanks for that. Now that I'm safe, you can be on your way; no sense in getting you tangled up in my problems."

I tried to stand on my own, but the pain all over my body forced me to stay seated. Latias carefully observed me before pointing. With very little light left, I had no clue what I was supposed to look at or which direction she was pointing. She rolled her eyes then extended an arm out to me.

"Standing up isn't going to happen now. Honestly, I'm not even sure how I'm alive." Her head rubbed against mine as she scooped me up. "Hey! What are you doing!?" She held me close to her chest and carefully took off into the night sky.

The air had turned dry and the temperature had decreased since I first ran away from Jon. Despite me being soaked to the bone and her fur being wet, she was still somewhat warm. If I had any idea where I was going, I would've fallen asleep right there. Instead, I thought about the bodyguard intent on killing me searching the area below or checking the sky, but I couldn't even see the ground. How would he see us? I was concerned for her safety until she landed in front of a large house with the lights on. Latias rang the doorbell as fast as she could; I was too tired to keep my eyes open but was conscious to be able to hear.

"Oh, Latias! Good to see… how bad is it?" She let out a series of loud whimpers. "Let's get him out of those clothes and carefully into a bed before we do anything else. Doctor Ellis, we've got a situation! I need you in guest room one!" a male voice yelled.

Overwhelming warmth was the first feeling I had when I was carried into the house. A nice smell, the heat on, and soft lighting as far as I knew made me feel even more comfortable. The sound of thumping footsteps up a set of stairs kept and the feeling of my wet clothes being removed on a rug were more than enough to get my eyes to open. Pain was slowly creeping back as a second man walked into the room.

"Nothing seems to be broken or out of place. Signs of exhaustion and hypothermia. You have some small rocks that are digging into your skin, so we'll wait on putting on a shirt. Nothing's on the legs so let's get those dried off and sweatpants covering them. We'll get you onto the bed after that," an older man said.

Both of them worked on getting dry clothes on me while I tried to ignore the pain. Once the sweatpants were on, a pair of slippers were put on my feet. Latias carefully used its psychic abilities to move me onto the soft bed so I could lie on my stomach. She then floated a water bottle over that I took with my good arm. I had no idea how much I needed it until I took a sip; the bottle was downed in under a minute.

"Jack, go to my bathroom cabinet for a pair of tweezers. I already have the bandages and rubbing alcohol."

"Is there anything I can do?" a female voice asked from the door.

"Rebecca, I need you to stay here and make sure the patient stays conscious while I get some food and water for him. Keep Latias calm too."

"Of course, sir." She did as she was told while Jack came back with the tweezers. Once the doctor came back with his items, he kneeled next to me.

"I'm going to remove all of the rocks in your lower back and shoulders before putting bandages on. It'll hurt for a bit, but it's for the best. Stay as still as possible."

Each piece of rock that was removed cause a quick, sharp pain that turned dull before he moved on to the next one. My lower back was numb and tingling by the time he got to my arms. They didn't have as many, but it was still just as painful with each pull.

"Rubbing alcohol is going on a towel before the wounds, okay? Frankly, it's going to sting. I'm going to start with the lower back first. Three… two... one… here I go." The medicine burned a lot worse than I thought and I jumped. "Almost done." He continued to disinfect the small cuts before putting bandages on.

"What happened to my left shoulder? Why did it quit on me when I needed to swim?" I asked above a whisper.

The doctor stood up. "Can you move it now?" I did although it took a lot of effort. "Rest for now. We'll talk tomorrow. Rebecca, Jack, Latias, let's give him some privacy." They turned off the light then shut the door.

I dug my head into the pillow and started to sob once I began putting all the pieces together from the past 48 hours. All the schoolyard fights or underground battles in the past were nothing compared to what I went through. Being in crowded areas with strong Pokémon by my side prevented things from getting too out of hand back then. Out here, I was truly on my own. The worst part was that I heavily contributed to my near-death experience. No… I was a dead man that happened to be walking.

Time seemed to drag on as I managed to roll over on my good shoulder to get comfortable. Latias would've snuck in without me noticing if it weren't for a squeaky door. I was half-asleep when she floated over to my side. She rested her body on the floor and placed her head next to mine. A soft lick was placed on my cheek.

"I'm feeling a lot better thanks to you… but I should really be dead." She gave me another lick then aggressively rubbed her head against my hand; I let out a big sigh as I gently pet her. Questions could wait for tomorrow. "Your head is so soft and warm. Reminds me of Linoone a little bit."

Maybe it was fatigue, but I swore I heard a voice telling me not to worry before falling asleep.

* * *

For better or worse, that was the best sleep I had in a long time. Latias was gone when I woke up in the late afternoon although the imprint of her neck and head was still in the memory foam mattress. My body responded well to the treatment along with the goodies left for me. There was a desire to quietly leave but that wasn't possible due to the fact I had nothing except a pair of sweats and slippers on me.

The room I had slept in was just as extravagant as my parent's room which was a surprise. After walking out to try and find someone to talk to, it was clear that the owner of the house was wealthy. Portraits of seemingly random Pokémon lined one hallway, expensive looking furniture was around every corner, sparkling gems were embedded in some pieces of tile by the entrance, there was a display for every evolution stone including mega stones, and two Master Balls sat in glass cases at the bottom of the staircase. The man who opened the door last night was now wearing a tuxedo and saw me staring intently.

"Ah! Good to see you moving around. Would you like anything to eat?"

"No thank you… uh… what was your name again?"

He bowed. "Jack, sir."

"Are you a butler?" slipped out of my mouth almost instantly. I felt embarrassed for being so blunt.

"Yes I am," he replied while fixing his posture. "Doctor Ellis cannot take care of everyone by himself."

"Everyone?"

"Follow me." Jack brought me through the house until we reached a door in the back. "Please be careful with our patients." He carefully opened the door and my mind was blown.

A large sunroom was facing a huge backyard with the mountains in the distance. It was built to be a place to escape with a large couch, television, a bookshelf, mini fridge, and a door to go on the deck overlooking the mountainous landscape. For now, it had been turned into a playpen for six Pokémon including Latias. A middle-aged woman in a black, long sleeved shirt with a white apron was tending to a Nuzleaf.

"Nice of you to join us!" the doctor exclaimed while brushing off his white overcoat. "Have a seat on the couch and we'll talk there. I'm just finishing up with this guy." Latias curled up next to me then put her head on my lap.

"Before I forget, who is next to you?"

The woman stood up and took a bow. "Rebecca, sir." If Jack was a butler, Rebecca was probably a maid.

While Nuzleaf was getting a bandage wrapped around its head to cover up a large cut, I got a closer look at the other four Pokémon not visibly injured. Two Lotads were sunbathing on the floor, a Swablu was perched on top of the television, and a Bagon was sleeping in the corner. Doctor Ellis sat next to Latias and she shifted to him.

"Such a good girl, aren't you?" Latias let out a happy cry. "Although she is naturally wary of humans, Latias will bring anyone here if they are severely injured."

"Did she get injured and you nursed her back to health?"

Ellis smiled. "You're right! It was five or so years ago when I was nearing the end of my career when she landed in my backyard badly poisoned. One Pecha Berry and some rest later, her condition stabilized. Latias soon felt comfortable enough to trust me with other Pokémon or people. The day I turned 65 was the day I retired from formally practicing medicine full time and dedicating my time to helping anyone that comes through that door. If anyone intentionally reaches out to me, it's usually for something serious."

I kept a straight face, but this man was something else. He easily looked like he was 55 at most along with the fact he had been helping people his whole adult life. If anyone deserved to be friends with a Latias or have such a large house to do what he does, it was him. Questioning him about his staff was probably rude, so I got straight to the point.

"Doc, I appreciate Latias saving me and all… but why didn't I die before she found me?" Her head perked up then Ellis got her to calm down.

"Why don't you tell me what happened before she found you?" he calmly yet sternly said. I took some time to carefully plan my response without giving away too much.

"There was someone I was travelling with who betrayed me. I tried to fly away but was attacked by his Pokémon forcing a crash landing on the ledge between the two waterfalls if you know what I'm talking about. That's how all those rocks got into my skin. He then took my Pokémon away from me leaving me with no choice to jump into the stream before going over the waterfall. I tried to swim to shore but my shoulder quit on me, I cramped up, and started to drown."

He leaned back. "If I may be honest with you, it was more of a miracle how you survived your companion than initially plunging over the waterfall."

"You have to be kidding!"

"Do you remember what happened immediately after you fell?"

"I went underwater and then swam downstream," I replied, unsure what he was getting at. He asked Rebecca, Jack, and Latias to leave.

"What you did was out of survival, but let me tell you that there have been people who have tried to kill themselves on that 50-foot waterfall. How do I know this? Because Latias has brought people here after nature let them live. With no debris under the water, the rush creating bubbles to reduce surface tension, and a natural downstream current to pull you away, it's like a glorified waterslide compared to the one above it. Doesn't mean everyone walks away, though."

All I could do was put my head in my hands. That explanation was reassuring and terrifying at the same time. What if Skarmory flew to the ledge of the top waterfall? What if I landed wrong or if there was a storm? None of it changed the fact that I survived a 50-foot drop.

"That doesn't explain why my shoulder failed me."

"Muscle fatigue was probably the reason why you couldn't generate enough force to stay afloat. It was bound to happen after all you went through," he said while shrugging his shoulders.

We sat with only the sounds of the other Pokémon in the room to prevent awkward silence. I had more time to rationalize what happened to me after hearing a qualified opinion. Some people would still call it a miracle that I lived while others would use hard science. Despite the facts presented, I leaned on the side of my experience being a miracle.

"Now that I know more about what happened, does Latias live here or what? Actually, where are we?" I asked hoping for a change of pace.

"She comes and goes as she pleases although visiting has become more common in recent months. As for where we are, we're south and slightly west of Fallarbor Town. If you were to drop down the cliff to the west, you'd be by Lanette's house. Not too many houses are out here which is more of my style."

"What about the ones to the north just outside of town? They were just as big as yours from afar."

Doctor Ellis rolled his eyes. "That's what I like to call 'pompous row' because the people who live there prefer to live near other rich people while also living in what they think is solitude; it's like a paradox. One party at a colleague's house over there rubbed me the wrong way."

"Sounds like where I grew up in Mauville." I suddenly felt homesick and remembered about my backpack. "Do you know where my stuff is? I'd like to get going."

Almost immediately after my request, Swablu flew over and roosted on my head. Its tiny yet sharp feet softly massaged my head. A soothing melody came out of its mouth while I tried to look at my reflection in the window.

"That Swablu has wanted to go with a trainer for a long time after suffering a wing injury in the wild. Every time I tried to let it go, it would look at me funny. My apologies young man, but I dug through your backpack and saw that you had no Poké Balls. Would you be okay taking it?"

I pulled it off my head and stared at it. There wasn't really a good reason to deny the offer seeing as I was completely defenseless the moment I left the house. Aside from that, it would evolve into something I could fly on which could help me get around Hoenn easier. The temperament around other Pokémon was a good sign that it would get along with everyone else on my team.

"Sure. Give me a ball and I'll do the rest." To nobody's surprise, it eagerly tapped the center circle to be caught.

"Now that's out of the way, let's go get your items. I'll give you a miniature tour along the way."

We walked around the first floor stopping at things the doctor I would think to be interesting. Rebecca was happy to cook something for dinner when we visited the kitchen while Jack was busy cleaning the main living room. Most of the things shown to me weren't relevant to my interests except the two Master Balls prominently on display. Getting one from the Silph Company was no small feat even with connections.

"How did you get those?"

Doctor Ellis' cheery attitude went away. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what those are for."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"Not a problem. Your gear should be around the corner in the laundry room."

My backpack had been tossed in the dryer after my items were removed while my clothes had been cleaned. He slowly took off the bandages before I carefully put them on; his facial expression was that of a worried man. Maddie's note was still in a pocket although the paper's consistency had turned into a napkin and it was mostly illegible. My wallet and badge were also wrinkled; no venting machine would probably take what cash I had in it. The PokéNav was useless which frustrated me even though it was bound not to work after how long it was underwater.

"Before I go, do you have any advice for two of my friends who want to be doctors?"

"I think you should stay another night to make sure your body is ready to take on the terrain. How about we talk over dinner?" It couldn't hurt to stay another night, especially after I saw some dark clouds over the horizon.

Doctor Ellis' dining room was arguably the modest part of the house. The table wasn't too big, the dishware was something that looked like I could probably afford, a small chandelier was a nice touch, and there was an area for Pokémon to eat. Rebecca had a prepared a hearty stew along with freshly baked bread and a salad. For the Pokémon, a mix of berries and meat chunks.

"You can call out Swablu, young man," Rebecca gently urged before running to the bottom of the staircase. "Latias! Dinner time!"

It hit me that I never introduced myself. "My name's Ryan if you want to call me by that. And sure, I'll call it out." Swablu chose to sit on my head until I had to physically sit it down in front of its bowl. "So what Pokémon do you all have?"

"Absol is my only Pokémon," she replied while calling it out. "He's very happy to be here after I caught him by Mount Pyre."

Jack placed two bowls on the floor. "Delcatty and Breloom are mine." Latias hovered to her spot while looking at the doctor. "She's just waiting on her friend."

"Friend?"

Doctor Ellis stared at his Ultra Ball. "He's wary of other people no matter how many times I talk to him. With everyone here, he should be fine. Eat up, Salamence."

I thought it was a joke until it materialized. Drake of the Elite Four was the only person I knew that had one by his side. The large dragon blankly stared at me then a look of doubt appeared on its face. Latias convinced it that I wasn't a threat with hand motions and nodding. My confidence steadily decreased while we were eating; I was too nervous to talk with it out.

"Your friends are aspiring to be doctors, yes?" Ellis asked when he sensed my nervousness.

"They are. I don't know what field, though." I took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of Pokémon Services?"

"Can't say that I have. Jack, Rebecca?"

"No," they responded at the same time.

I felt obligated to keep going. "Well, it's a clinic in Mauville that specializes in Pokémon rehabilitation from severe injuries. One of them used to work at a Pokémon Center before transferring there. I'm not sure if she's learning the right things. I think the other one is still at the Pokémon Center." Referencing her note would probably hurt me more than help me.

"How old are they?"

"Both are roughly in their mid-twenties."

He shook his head and laughed. "They have to start at the bottom, Ryan. Maybe things have changed from when I started working, but they've got a year or two before they consistently do more meaningful work. People straight out of medical programs don't get exposed to everything at once."

"Fair enough."

"What about your goals?"

Finally, a question I didn't feel awkward about answering. "Tomorrow will be the day that I sign up for the Hoenn League."

"Good for you! I realized I couldn't cut it as a trainer after my third badge; battles were getting too fast-paced for me. My Pokémon kept getting injured, so I had to learn how to treat them on the road." He sighed. "They're in better hands now." I dared not ask hat happened to his original team with Salamence in the room.

"Would you mind giving me some advice for out on the road?"

"Why tell you when I can show you?"

He led me to his study where two large bookshelves were filled to the brim. A pocket-sized paperback field guide detailing basic first aid for humans and most Pokémon was handed to me. Two large textbooks regarding Pokémon care were also given to me since he felt that they would benefit from them. I was given permission to do anything I wanted while he went back to the sun room. There was a large chair ideal for reading so I took advantage of it.

Reading through the medical textbooks nearly gave me a headache with all the jargon. Even the pictures were hard to understand despite footnotes. The one chapter about how Pokémon eggs and mating work got weird in a hurry; I've never shut a book so quickly. I would rather my parents tell me about how I was born in detail than read that chapter. I called out Swablu to bond with it while I shifted to my field guide.

Everything from how to handle a small cut to making a tourniquet was mentioned. The sections regarding water scenarios were more informative or simply longer due to Hoenn's geography. A lot of the things I read were common sense and validated what I learned when I was younger. I had lost track of time and started to get tired. Swablu moved to my lap and started hopping to keep me awake.

"You'll give Magneton a run for its money as the friendliest Pokémon on my team," I said as I held it in front of me; it tilted its head. "We're going to do great things on the way to Ever Grande City." It chirped out of happiness as Latias peeked her head in with Rebecca.

"Your room is ready, Ryan. Feel free to go up anytime."

"Thank you. I think I'll go up now."

She escorted me to my room. "I brought up the slippers and sweats from last night. They have been washed. You are technically discharged as soon as the clock hits noon tomorrow but may stay as long as you like."

I felt uncomfortable about being waited on. "Oh! Okay… thank you," I managed to get out.

"No problem. Come on Latias, off to your room."

"I don't mind if she wants to sleep in here," I quickly replied.

A smile appeared on Rebecca's face. "A lot of people say that. Latias sometimes gets too worried about the people she brings back. I hope you haven't gotten too annoyed at her."

The concern was evident although I didn't mind it at all. "She's been fine."

"Well, feel free to ask for some space if you want it. You'll know what I mean. Goodnight!"

Rain had been coming down in droves for the past few minutes which made me feel better about staying. Swablu had its own small bed next to mine; these people were prepared for everything. Latias stared out the window while I did my best to get comfortable then turned off the light. The mattress dipped a little and I felt her next to me.

"Latias, are you going to sleep next to me?" She licked my cheek. Rebecca wasn't kidding about the idea of personal space. "I'm fine… I promise," I said while petting her head. A small whimper came out of her mouth and I felt bad about the thought of pushing her away.

For everything that she had done for me, I figured I could handle one night of her sleeping next to me. Zigzagoon did it a lot when I was younger and Lucas' Electrike would stop by if I was on the couch. Maybe I was intimidated by the fact that she was bigger than me or the fact that she was a psychic type with the ability to move things at will. Power over others was something I didn't seek out although I wanted to control what I could without being a jerk about it. She would've already tried to hurt me if she didn't want me in the house.

"Alright, I'll let you sleep next to me if you want." Latias quietly cheered at my consent. "You're even warmer than last time. Softer too. Goodnight Latias." I could've sworn she held me close to her as I went into a deep sleep.

* * *

Morning came a lot quicker than I expected but I still managed to have a good sleep. Latias had presumably rolled over in the middle of the night and buried her head underneath a pillow. Rain continued to fall although it was more of a drizzle. I had no intention of leaving until it stopped.

Breakfast had already been made when I went downstairs. Jack still offered to cook something to which I declined; didn't want to make him do extra work. Two pieces of toast with butter was enough for me. Doctor Ellis was in the living room in a recliner watching television.

"Sleep well?"

"Yes."

"Latias smother you?"

"Sort of. I didn't mind."

He smiled. "The first three nights after we brought her in were an experience for all of us. I treated her on day one, she slept with me. Rebecca treated her on day two, she slept with her. Jack was still surprised even though we warned him. My guess is that Latias wanted to thank us or doing that made her feel safe."

"That's… interesting. How does she deal with people that take advantage of her kindness?"

"She doesn't. I do. You think I just ride Salamence around?" We stayed silent for a bit before he shifted in his seat. "Anyway, Latias will take you back to Fallarbor Town whenever you're ready. Salamence doesn't like anyone else riding him."

I gathered my things said my farewells once the rain stopped. It was still damp and cold outside, but it might have been the best chance to leave. Doubt about flying started to creep into my mind after getting on Latias' back; Jon's pervious attempt to knock me off still was fresh in my memory. I was handed a warm jacket.

"You'll go directly north where she'll drop you off at the edge of town." Rebecca said while showing me a map.

"Will do. Latias… could you go slow, please? Maybe closer to the ground too? I'm a little nervous when it comes to flying." She nodded then took off.

The flight back started fine until the drizzle returned. I crouched down to limit the water hitting my face while tightening my grip. Something came into my peripheral vision and I turned around to see what it was; a Fearow was coming in hot with intent to fight. I told Latias to dive into the forest to lose the flying type.

Once we were on the ground, she started to lead me to town before turning invisible. Her outline was still visible to me up to about nine or so feet. The camouflage upset the Fearow above who kept screaming out of frustration once we managed to get out of its sight. Rustling from the bushes echoed until someone came out. We hid behind a large tree.

"Oh Ryan! Where are you? Make my trip out here worthwhile," a female voice taunted in the distance. I took a quick peek to see Jen, my coworker that I beat in the finals of the intermediate tournament a few months back.

"You've caused us a lot of problems you piece of shit. Just come on out." It was Jon. Fearow had come to roost next to its trainer.

Jen looked at her belt. "Sceptile will be more than happy to cut down every tree."

I stayed put as she called it out. The grass starter repeatedly used Leaf Blade to cut down a sizeable tree closer to them than me, but the cut was about waist level. Pokémon hiding nearby fled after realizing that they had no chance to win against a fully evolved one. Latias dropped the invisibility around her face to reveal angry eyes.

"Don't do it Latias… please. They're insane," I quietly pleaded. "Let's lay low until dark."

She relaxed her face, closed her eyes, and shook her head. She wasn't going to stand for what had happened or what could happen. I was given a signal to plug my ears as she went back to being invisible. Latias' outline had become impossible to spot until a leaf stayed on her head about a hundred feet away.

A loud shriek echoed through the forest, catching everything in the immediate area off-guard. Fearow charged in the hopes of making it stop and clipped her wing. Red coloring stood out among the landscape, so it circled back to land a more direct hit; her cover vanished.

"I thought he was riding something else, but apparently not. Where's your passenger?" Jon asked in a fake happy tone like a parent would do with a small child.

Latias' response was to pick up both trainers and their Pokémon with her psychic power. While they struggled, she looked around before throwing them into the base of the tree Jen cut down. Jon hit his head first while Jen threw her arms up to limit the damage.

"That's it… you're coming back with us along with Ryan! Mightyena and Growlithe, get out here!" he yelled while rubbing his head. Rain started to fall.

"Cacturne, Lanturn, Rhydon, we have work to do! Sceptile, be ready!"

We were staring down seven Pokémon with very little chance of escape. Two were dark types and Fearow could keep Latias in check if she tried to fly. I silently cursed at having only a Swablu to fight by my side. Even the strongest Swablu stood little chance against what we were up against. Sensing the odds were not in our favor, Latias moved first.

She took a deep breath then shot a clear ball at their feet. A dense mist immediately covered the area; I couldn't see them when I peeked out from behind the tree again. The sound of more balls hitting the ground added to the density and area that the mist covered. I took one step closer to the action holdig Swablu's ball before she rushed to push me closer to town.

"Fuck! You're right! I can't do anything because I'm too weak," I quietly sobbed. She gave me a quick hug, nodded solemnly, and went back into the deep fog. When the commotion started to pick up, I sprinted to town.

My eyes filled with tears knowing what I had gotten into. I constantly tried to think about something else, but to no avail. Explosions could be heard behind me along with loud thuds and cries. The edge of the forest was on higher ground, so I had the chance to look for her in the sky.

A little relief washed over me when I saw she was going closer to Meteor Falls only to disappear when large rocks and a streak of lightning hit her. Fearow went up to attack, although I couldn't see what it was doing to her. She kept flying away from me while slowly losing altitude until a net covered her. The moment I lost sight of her was the moment I continued running and didn't look back.

Fallarbor Town was as sleepy as the first time I came there on Skarmory. The fact that I was running through the main street visibility angry and sad turned some heads. Nobody was around the Pokémon Center which allowed me to compose myself.

Hiding out at home or anywhere else hoping they wouldn't find me wasn't going to solve anything. I needed a way to get as much help as possible to free Latias and bring down Pokémon Services. Getting stronger was not optional… it was mandatory. There was one option that could help me do those things while also allowing me to have a little fun.

I walked into the empty lobby up to the desk, took out my wallet, slammed my identification card on the table, and gave Nurse Joy a serious look.

"Sign me up for the Hoenn League."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can finally say this officially wraps up the first third of the story in terms of beginning/middle/end, not word count. My goal was to base the environment off of route 114 of Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire with the houses being "off the map" so to speak. I hope to get out one more chapter before 2017 is over, but the holiday season is getting hectic for me.
> 
> I thank you for your patience and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Have a good day and I'll see you next chapter :)
> 
> -W4f


	14. Regrouping

Nervousness weighed on my mind while I filled out the application in the corner. Most of the questions were simple like name, age, home region, and overall experience as a trainer, but that wasn't the problem. The idea of potentially exposing myself to the world under my circumstances terrified me until a metaphorical light bulb went off in my head. Pokémon Services never took my information. I wasn't in any public trainer database, so nobody could look me up. Their shady business practices of paying me under the table benefited me just as much as it did them.

Jon and Jen probably knew I was alive, but I didn't think they would try to pursue me unless I walked into the clinic. Aside from Ardos' name being mentioned, I didn't remember him revealing damning evidence about the company or anyone else. The locked "Ein File" portfolios were more red flags on top of the other things Maddie mentioned in her note. Despite all I had gone through, I didn't have any evidence of what was really going on. All those factors combined, and I think they had bigger things to worry about, like trying to get money for the business.

Nurse Joy was milling around behind the counter until I walked up with a completed application. She looked it over before typing away at a computer. After a few clicks of the mouse, the screen was turned my way.

"Congratulations! You are now a registered trainer for the Hoenn League! I just need you to step back so I can take a picture."

"Actually, can I use the one from my time as a gym trainer?"

She became skeptical. "Let me run your information through the league database." I was nervous since she didn't use the keyboard or mouse as much as before. "Just curious, what can you tell me about your experience?"

"My fellow trainers at the gym were Shawn before he left, Vivian, and Ben. I had a 70-55 record in four months all in Mauville City. Also, Linoone was my only Pokémon at the time." Nurse Joy went back to searching and nodded.

"Ah! There you are. I could see why you would want this picture." I had shown up like that to picture day a week into the job in a red button-down dress shirt and white tie. I figured if it was going in the league database, I should look presentable.

There was a slight difference in appearance since it had been taken over a year ago, but it wasn't enough to tell up close. Now if they  _were_  interested in looking me up, they would have an older photo and might not be able to spot me on the street. Jen and Seven hadn't seen me enough times to remember my face, but Jon and Ardos interacted with me more. Hopefully a long journey combined with them spending their energy to run Pokémon Services would cause some amnesia regarding what I looked like.

"Hey, you never know when it might come in handy," I said while shrugging my shoulders and smiling.

"If you had pointed out your league employment before I gave you an application, you would've saved yourself the trouble of filling out the paperwork."

"Sorry about that. I'm a little anxious at the moment." I was curious to see what else was on my page after my time there. "Do you mind if I look at my profile? I never knew how to access it from home."

"I don't see why not."

Everything a normal business would ask for personal information wise was on there. Records for each month were listed along with what tasks I knew how to do. There was a "in the news" section for which there was only one article. Some tabloid picked up on how I made a kid with a team full of Trapinch cry. The memory of me easily defeating the first two before he ran out of the gym was enough to make me chuckle. A footnote at the bottom of my profile caught my eye.

_A very hard worker all around. Left on good terms to pursue other opportunities._

Did… did Wattson do that? I clearly remember him telling me I was fired. Not only that, all my performance reviews stayed positive from the first one to the day I got fired. I had to hold back tears and pretend that something was in my eye.

"Now that you're a formal trainer, I'd like to give you your official Hoenn League starter pack," Nurse Joy said while pulling out a drawstring bag. "Take a look and don't be afraid to ask questions."

A paper map and compass were the first things I noticed which would allow me to get home. Go-Goggles allowed me to maneuver through the desert on route 111 if I decided to cut through there. There was a list of the gym leaders, their type specialty, their TM prize, any programs they participate in, and an overview of their badge. Due to Devon Corporation's constant work with technology, HMs were in all marts selling for 15,000P each as told on another piece of paper. Finally, I was handed a Pokédex.

"Devon mass produces these too?"

"They do! However, this is arguably the most important item. It contains your trainer ID number, milestones, and it will provide information on all Pokémon in your party with a quick scan. You could request a new one at any Pokémon Center if it gets lost for a fee. If you want to upgrade it with more features, go to Littleroot Town."

I didn't even try to hide the mix of joy and relief on my face. Guessing about wild or opponent's Pokémon was now a thing of the past. Knowing more about my team would also make the gym challenge easier. The basic features needed to be tested on the way back to Mauville.

"Great! I think I'm all set," I said while packing everything up.

"Good luck and enjoy what Hoenn has to offer!"

People who previously saw me running through town crying looked me over as I fiddled with my Pokédex. They probably shrugged it off as me having a bad day without knowing how bad it was. Once I had everything set up, I called out Swablu.

"Hold still while it scans." It stared in awe at the new technology and its information was displayed on the screen.

_Name: Swablu_

_Hoenn Number/National Number: 126/333_

_Male/Female: Female_

_Ability: Natural Cure_

_Nature: Quirky_

_Moves: Sing, Round, Take Down, Cotton Guard_

Other features like locations across the region appeared as I scrolled down. Knowing the attacks was all I needed. That being said, there was a lot of room for improvement. Round wasn't going to win any major battles. However, it was good enough to get us home.

I thought about leaving east until I realized it was going to get dark soon. Maneuvering throughout the night without proper gear was dangerous. Even if I bought a tent and flashlight at the mart, I would be more comfortable testing them out first. Nurse Joy was a little surprised to see me come back in.

"Is everything alright?"

"What you gave me works fine. Can I please have a room for the night?" I said while reaching for my wallet.

"Oh! You don't have to worry about paying for a room if you're a trainer."

"Really!?"

She put on a serious look. "It's a first come, first served basis when it comes to Pokémon Centers. If they're too full, you'll have to sleep somewhere else. Not all of them are as empty as this one. Anyway, you're registered to room 2A." I walked around to find my room.

There was a bunk bed to go with a small bathroom while the carpet was a little on the rugged side. A desk, lamp, and chair sat next to a small dresser to make it feel more inviting. The window faced north to the mountains. I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort knowing that I had my own private space to do what I wanted.

Planning out a route home was much easier with the PokéNav and the paper map. Latias made a break for Meteor Falls before she got captured which meant going that way would be risky. Her captors could exit the falls at route 115, take a boat to Rustboro City, go east to Verdanturf, then end up in Mauville. It would be hard even with whatever resources they had, but a lot easier than taking my way back.

Route 113 was essentially flat with some mountainous sections to the south and a large forest to the north. There was ash from Mount Chimney all over the place which could be turned into items, but I didn't have time for that. From there, I'd reach route 111, go south through the desert, then continue on the main path until I reached Mauville. The trip could be completed in one day if I kept a brisk pace with no breaks.

"Route planned? Check. Materials for the trip? Nope," I said while looking through my backpack. "It's not too late to stock up."

The mart was eerily empty although the man working the counter made me feel comfortable. Food was my primary concern followed by some healing items then a few Poké Balls. Swablu being the only member in my party made inventory portioning easy for now. My problem was the lack of other things available for a long trip.

"Finding everything you need?" the cashier asked.

"Do you have sleeping bags or tents?"

He shook his head slowly. "Not that I know of. We don't have a shipment of that kind of outdoor gear due for another few days."

"What about a flashlight?"

"There's one by the premade emergency kits." It was one that could be cranked for power instead of needing batteries. "Anything else?"

"Nope. Have a good night," I replied as I paid him.

Doctor Ellis' house and Mauville were one thing, but the feeling waking back to the Pokémon Center was an odd one. Bright lights on every corner had been replaced with dull street lights, yet I didn't feel threatened at all. The overwhelming sense of calm in the town put me at ease. Getting away from the hustle and bustle was something I always looked forward to on my journey. If I wasn't starting my journey, I wouldn't mind staying a few days in Fallarbor Town to relax.

My room had gotten cold in the time I went out which meant I had to turn up the heat. I called out Swablu to eat with me. The fluffy flying type stuck its head in the small bag of Pokémon food as I nibbled on some fruit. Something went off in my head and I started to quietly sob.

I didn't deserve any of this. A Swablu who was thrilled to travel with me, a warm room to sleep in, a shot at winning eight badges, and Latias saving my life after I nearly pissed it away for a job that I didn't need to survive. I think what got me the most was the idea of being forgotten if I died. Nobody knew where I was and there was a good chance my body would be tossed around the inside of Meteor Falls until I was unrecognizable. My Pokémon stopped eating to sit on my shoulder and rub against my cheek.

"Thank you Swablu. I think I need to turn the lights off and go to bed," I sniveled while petting her. She shook her head when I took out her ball and flew over to the top bunk. Kneading the sheets was her way of getting ready for bed. "We're not always going to have a bed, but I'm fine with you sleeping out of your ball tonight." I tucked her in for good measure.

For a place that was shared by trainers across Hoenn, the bed was comfortable. The linens smelling like citrus was a nice touch. I easily fell asleep to the sound of rain hitting the exterior of the building. Unfortunately, the peaceful atmosphere didn't last long.

Latias' capture replayed in my mind before the nightmares got worse. I imagined she was pinned down on some operation table like in a cliché mad scientist horror movie. The hallucination shifted to her being forced to battle to the point of exhaustion. Another shift in tone as I saw her moving heavy materials while being whipped. It felt like a never-ending cycle of quick snippets until I saw a shadowy figure slam her head into the ground and whisper something in her ear. My instinct was to beat the shit out of him.

"Come here you bitch!" I yelled before throwing a punch in my sleep. "Shit! Dammit… that hurt," I moaned while rubbing my hand. I took a second to wake up then turn on the light. Luckily, the wall was fine.

My body was covered in a cold sweat, my heart was racing, and breathing was shallow and quick. Apparently, I had thrashed in my sleep the entire time seeing as my covers were on the floor. Swablu had moved to the foot of my bed with a concerned look on her face.

"Just had a horrible nightmare. Sorry about that." I remade my bed then tried to settle down. My flying type hopped next to me. A soothing melody came out of her mouth; it wasn't like when we first met. "So… sleepy." She used my head as a pillow before we fell asleep. Her humming reverberated in my head to keep the nightmares away for the rest of the night.

Fog was the only thing I could see out the window when I woke up at 9:30. Putting up with that would be fine since there was no rain. Swablu already had scattered food on the floor for breakfast; I wasn't feeling hungry. Once I tidied up, I went to the front desk to check out and heal my only Pokémon. Nurse Joy wished me well and I unceremoniously started my journey.

Walking through route 113 was a quiet experience. Groups of Spinda preferred to run away from me or put in extra effort to hiding in the tall grass. Sandshrew had it easier because they could dig to avoid confrontation. I messed up by tripping over one that was sleeping, but Swablu easily defeated it with Take Down. The thought of catching it crossed my mind until a few more came up from the ground looking to defend their friend. I walked away; getting home was more important.

Maneuvering through the ashy landscape got annoying once I reached a steep cliff. I had to go north, east, then south to continue. After going down some manmade stairs, a pair of Skarmory was on the edge of the grass. One was clearly younger than what I presumed was its mother. The young flying type was practicing a takeoff when it noticed me. A loud screech came afterward.

"Oh no. Please turn around. I don't want any trouble," I whispered to myself. The mother immediately saw me as a threat and her talons glowed. "No! No! No! Not Metal Claw! Swablu, Cotton Guard!"

Its puffy wings glowed in response to my command. Even an adult Skarmory's metal talons couldn't severely injure my little ball of fluff. Sure, it wasn't as strong as the champion's steel bird, but Swablu's defense was stronger than I thought. What the hell did I inherit?

"Sing! Try putting it to sleep!"

It took a lot longer than I wanted, but the mom took a nap. The younger one instantly became terrified at the sight unfolding in front of it; it charged as out of anger. Round and Take Down would take too long to whittle down even the lesser experienced bird. I was happy to run away; it turned back once I got out of the falling ash. We needed a break as the sun started to set.

One option was to find a tree nearby to set up a camp while the other option was to keep going until I got back to Mauville. My PokéNav indicated there was a cottage nearby although there was a good chance the people living there wouldn't let me stay the night. The desire to get back home swayed the pendulum in favor of walking through the desert. I had a change of heart when I got to the edge of it and my flashlight wasn't as strong as I thought it was.

"There's at least one better way to die," I joked to myself. "Guess I'm finding a tree to sleep under. Swablu, return."

A dense forest southwest of my location was an ideal place to set up camp. The sounds of nature were scarce, yet I was okay with it. People who loved the constant hustle and bustle of Mauville would probably panic at how quiet it was. I fell asleep knowing the skies were clear and the air was warm.

* * *

Waking up was more frustrating than normal because I ended up facing east. I referred to my map for the best path home once I packed everything up. Hoenn's desert was more enclosed than a traditional one which meant I could hug the rocks south until I got out. The worst thing I could do was get away from the wall.

Go-goggles fit snugly over my eyes and allowed me to see when the wind picked up too much sand. I cursed at how much sand was in my shoes; the beach back home was annoying enough. Cacnea were bouncing around in the distance enjoying the hot sun along with some trainers looking to catch them. There was a trainer coming closer to me.

"Hey! Want to battle?"

"No thanks."

"Come on… you're really refusing a battle?"

"Uh, yeah. Move along." The trainer didn't appreciate my answer and grabbed my arm.

"We're doing this. Lombre, come out then use Rain Dance!" The hybrid water-grass Pokémon summoned a local raincloud to negate the sandstorm.

I yanked my arm away. "Nope. Bye." I took four steps before exploding bubbles landed next to me.

"Last chance."

Guess I was going to battle. "Swablu, use Sing!"

"Bubble Beam!"

Sing had no effect as Lombre took advantage of the rain. It effortlessly dashed across the landscape firing streams of bubbles at my Pokémon. Swablu took a heavy hit before ascending higher.

"Take Down!"

"Nature Power!"

Swift Swim allowed Lombre to put itself in a better position to launch its attack. Pillars of sand came from the ground that Swablu easily dodged. She rammed into her opponent's chest for a direct hit.

"Round!" A soundwave sent Lombre to the ground.

"Don't take that lying down! Bubble Beam!" The attack grazed my flying type despite its best effort to escape. I was tired of battling.

"Get in close then use Sing!" The attack worked the second time. "Ram into it!" Lombre was helpless as the force of the attack sent it a few feet backwards.

My opponent knew the round was over. "Return! Go-!" I rushed in for my own tackle then pinned him in the sand.

"Get off me!"

I got in his ear. "I told you I didn't want to battle! Also, I'm fucking tired of being around rain. Now I don't feel bad about doing this." His goggles were tossed well outside the rainy area.

"Hey! I need those!"

"You have two choices. Either continue the battle like you wanted while I guard your goggles or get your goggles while I run away. Keep in mind the rain is going to stop soon."

The trainer was let go and getting the goggles was more important to them. I recalled Swablu before running south as the sandstorm overtook the rain. A few other trainers asked for a battle along the way back to town, but I declined each one. They were a little older, so they understood about how I was trying to get home; still got mocked for it. Once I passed the Winstrate family house around noon, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I realized I was entering from the north; I had to walk past Pokémon Services.

I waited until mid-afternoon to make my move into the city. Large groups of people were passing through the area and it was easy to blend in. Another thing regarding my escape from Jon crossed my mind and I sprinted to the bank. The teller pretended like there was nothing wrong.

"What can I do for you?"

"Can you show me my account balance on the screen? Here's my identification." The thought of them raiding my personal account went away when I saw my balance hadn't changed. "Thank you. Can I withdraw 100,000?"

"Debit card not working?"

"I'd rather pay for my items in cash this time around."

Money exchanged hands and I went home knowing my parents were at work. As much as I wanted to have a big sendoff, I didn't have time for goofing around. My Pokémon were inside their balls on the kitchen table along with a note. I'd be willing to bet they wrote that immediately after they saw mine.

_Ryan, we tried calling to check up on you, but you never answered. Also, your Pokémon were visibly upset about you leaving them here. Maybe try the PC system next time? Hope the business trip went well and give us a call after you've recovered._

_-Mom & Dad_

Talking to all three of them separately would be too much for me. Introducing Swablu would be easier if they all saw her as well. I moved to the living room for the big news.

"Alright guys, out you go." Any hope for them being happy to see me was instantly squashed.

Linoone grunted in frustration then turned his head to the side like a child pouting. Aggron gave me a long stare before completely turning his back to me with his arms folded. Magneton was conflicted on how happy it was to see me; it started to float to me only to back up while still facing me. I couldn't believe it. I lost the trust of all my Pokémon.

"Guys, I'm really sorry about making you stay behind." I truly meant it, but they didn't see it that way. "After what happened on my trip, we're done battling for Pokémon Services."

The news made everyone even more upset; Magneton turned around with its magnets drooping. I dug through my backpack for the paper on gym badges. Words weren't going to get them back.

"We're going to take the Hoenn League challenge. Eight badges stand between us and Ever Grande City," I said while placing the paper on the ground.

Ramming that thought into Linoone's head for years caused him to crack first. I had always showed him the badges from books in the hopes he wouldn't think his battling was going to waste. He carefully looked over each badge to make sure they were all there although he didn't forgive me entirely. My other two Pokémon didn't budge at the prospect of collecting badges.

"You also have a new teammate. Meet Swablu." She looked around to get a feeling for her partners.

Magneton was stoic after it inspected her which came as a surprise considering how friendly it was to everything else. Maybe it was jealous of another peppy Pokémon. Linoone gave it a good sniff over before happily crying out in approval. Aggron still hadn't budged since I called him out, but took an interest when Swablu sat atop his head. They communicated for a few minutes before he gently tapped the two feathers sticking out from Swablu's head; never would've guessed he was a bit of a softie.

The new addition wasn't going to immediately make things better. How long was it going to take to regain their trust in me? What would I have to do? Winning badges would be a good start, but I made them feel like I questioned their strength. Had I told them the reason for why I left them behind, the bridge might have been burned completely.

"Rustboro City is home of the first badge if we take the traditional path of new trainers. We're leaving for Verdanturf Town later tonight. Maybe we'll get to Rustboro depending on how fast we move." I took the chance to scan everyone else with my Pokédex for more details.

_Name: Linoone_

_Hoenn Number/National Number: 13/264_

_Male/Female: Male_

_Ability: Quick Feet_

_Nature: Impish_

_Moves: Covet, Slash, Sand-Attack, Pin Missile_

Pickup wasn't it because I never received anything from him during our travels. Gluttony might've been it after I found him, but he stopped scarfing down his food once he realized I was going to keep him. I didn't even consider a third potential ability since he rarely affected by a status ailment. Magneton was up next.

_Name: Magneton_

_Hoenn Number/National Number: 85/82_

_Male/Female: Neither_

_Ability: Sturdy_

_Nature: Jolly_

_Moves: Flash Cannon, Tri Attack, Metal Sound, Spark_

Nothing came as a surprise to me. If I paraded it around to anyone, they could at least guess its nature. Aggron was the last one I had to scan.

_Name: Aggron_

_Hoenn Number/National Number: 74/306_

_Male/Female: Male_

_Ability: Rock Head_

_Nature: Adamant_

_Moves: Rock Slide, Double-Edge, Iron Tail, Iron Head_

With all the information at my fingertips, I could go to the shopping district to better prepare for my journey. I left a note for my parents saying my PokéNav broke and I would call them as soon as possible. A pile of cash worth 30,000P was put next to the note as thanks for all they had done. I stared at it wondering if it was enough. Was it a fair amount or was I holding back? Did my siblings need any extra money? How much did I really need for a journey? I took the other 70,000 to the shopping district.

The outdoor stores had more than I asked for. So many tents, sleeping bags, emergency kits, and stuff I didn't even know existed. One thing I noticed was that the most expensive things weren't always suited to my personal preferences. Were they worth the price tag? Absolutely. I just bought what I needed then moved on to other stores. I did splurge on the latest PokéNav model since it was more durable; my SIM card from my old one was unsalvageable.

Once I got what I needed, I had two things left to do. Maddie had some information for me and I still had to go to my apartment to pick up any last-minute things. Her apartment number was still in my memory even if her number wasn't. It was coming up on 5:30pm so there was a chance she was already home.

I casually walked into the complex, took the elevator up to her floor, and knocked on her door. Nobody answered so I sat outside her door. For a place that was seemingly uptight about security on the ground floor, the residents didn't seem to care about me. They probably thought I was someone who was upset about getting dumped. She finally showed up an hour later.

"Ryan? What are you doing here? And why didn't you call me?"

"Hope you're not too tired to talk because I've got one hell of a story." I gave her time to get settled. "You should start first because I want to hear more about the note."

She sat down next to me. "When I asked about the late nights or aggressive Pokémon, some of the higher-ups shrug it off while others were unaware of what's going on. I can confirm that incorrect advice about rehabilitation has been given. Wrong exercises, moving too quickly, stuff like that. The scary part is that the physical therapists yell at each other when someone catches wind of it. The company still helps many people, though."

"Does the arguing lead to anything?"

"Beats me. Disagreeing with a method is one thing, but the ones giving bad advice plug their ears and scream. Luckily, I work with reasonable people."

A light bulb went off in my head. "Cecil working there too?"

Her eyes went from me to the floor. "Yes. He hasn't been the same these past few weeks. At work he pretends I don't exist then doesn't tell me why when he comes home. Then he says it's for my own good." She started to sob.

Cecil might have been in on whatever Pokémon Services was trying to do based on her account. I couldn't walk up and ask him with Maddie next to me; doubt he would talk to me about that anyway.

"Do you think you'll keep working there with everything going on?"

"I don't know!" she yelled; probably not a good question to ask. Maddie calmed down shortly after the outburst. "Taking things one day at a time is all I can do at this point."

The frustration boiled over and she kept punching the couch. Nothing was being done and I had a feeling that any suggestions from her would result in her firing. Suggesting a different order for cleaning at my janitorial job got me a stern talking to. Hard to imagine what would happen if Maddie called bullshit on everything she saw.

"Believe me when I say that there's something going on too," I sternly said. She took deep breaths to regain her focus. "Did anyone mention me going on a business trip?"

"No. I didn't know you worked there until we met in the lobby a few days ago. You're not on any schedule either." Big red flag. If I wasn't a listed employee, neither was any of the other battlers.

I leaned back. "Convenient. If you were to kill someone who never was an employee, would the company acknowledge that they were dead?"

"You can't be serious," she whispered.

"Due to some actions that didn't sit well with upper management, someone was hired to kill me."

Maddie slowly nodded although I didn't think she believed anything. I thought it was more out of shock than anything. "Who did it?"

I slowly rubbed my eyes. "Can't say because…" I tailed off not knowing how to phrase the rest of the sentence. Telling her would cause more harm than good because she would start to act different at work.

"What's with everyone hiding things from me!?" Now I knew how to finish it.

"Because I'm not dragging you into my problems!" I walked around the living room. "Cecil might be doing the same thing… to protect you. If people associate him with you, that could cause problems down the road. Whether you want to believe that or not is up to you. The good news is that neither of you have paraded me around at work as a good friend. Both of you are fine now and will continue to be fine."

Her head plopped on the back of the couch. "I'm relieved to hear that. My question is do they know you're alive?"

"They probably do… which is why I'm leaving town tonight and taking the Hoenn League challenge. Here's my new number. If there are rumblings about me, I'd appreciate a call. I need to get stronger so that I can fight when the time comes."

"Should I go to the police?"

My heart skipped a beat. "Let me handle my situation on my own and you handle anything that happens to you."

We exchanged numbers again knowing that I wasn't coming back to Mauville anytime soon. The conversation shifted to me explaining my team and how they were doing. Part of me still wanted to come clean on everything, but I didn't give in to temptation. She sincerely wished me well and I walked back into the city.

After healing up at the Pokémon Center, I made my way back to my apartment. Lostelle's was as entertaining as ever with the flashing lights on the sign. Going in for a round at the machines was another temptation I had to avoid. All the fun I had in there before meant nothing now. The money I won there all those months was a different story. My door was unlocked when I turned the key.

"Those motherfuckers!"

Every square inch of the place had been ransacked. Furniture was against the wall, contents of cupboards were all over the kitchen floor, my electronics were missing, and my room got the worst of it. The clothes I bought with Ardos' money were gone along with some of my nicer clothes. Old textbooks from school had pages ripped out regarding behavioral patterns. None of that compared to arguably my most important items.

All my notes on Pokémon were stolen. Months of staring at a computer screen or encyclopedia pages in my free time were wasted. Basculin was the last Pokémon I took notes on; they would have to deal with the other 250 or so on their own. Having a Pokédex was nice, but I had more specific data like popular move combinations and ideal hold items.

The odds of someone coming back were likely since I was alive and they knew where I lived, but I reluctantly cleaned the place up. Once everything looked halfway decent, I took a hot shower to clear my head. The worst outcome was avoided because I took my Pokémon to my parent's house. Had they gotten stolen, I wouldn't have a problem charging through the front door declaring war on Ardos.

I locked the door then went to the lobby to ask for a new lock, set up an autopayment system for rent in case I needed to come back, and demanded that nobody was to be directed to my room. There was a small chance the people who raided my apartment didn't remember the exact number in their rush to steal my things.

Walking through the east side of the city past the gym one last time gave me mixed emotions. My parents kept me on the right path long enough to get my dream job only for me to get in a fight and lose it. Despite all that happened in there, I had to return for the Dynamo Badge at some point.

The last thing on the edge of the city was the police department. I just didn't have the heart to walk in and say how I was nearly murdered. The idea that it would happen to me would sound absurd, I had no proof aside from my word, and I would probably have to stay close by while they conducted an investigation. I took a deep breath and walked past it into route 117 under a warm and clear night sky.

My journey had officially begun.


	15. Road to Rustboro

The path to Verdanturf Town was short and relatively safe which was an incentive to keep going. My flashlight was strong enough to guide me while also alerting any Pokémon of my presence. Catching a nocturnal Oddish sounded like a good idea until it let loose some kind of powder as a warning. Ponds on either side of me had water Pokémon lurking too deep for me to catch without a fishing rod. Jumping in with only a flashlight was not an ideal situation either. I sat by the edge of one near a partially fenced-in flowerbed.

Mauville's bright lights paled in comparison to the array of stars in the night sky. Even watching the night sky at the beach by my house growing up didn't feel the same. The only sounds were waves rippling from the mild wind and rustling grass. I loved the peace and quiet although I doubt most people living in the city would. When I had enough of staring into the moon's reflection on the water, I continued walking.

It was roughly 3:30 in the morning when I stumbled upon Verdanturf's Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy was absentmindedly staring at her computer until the motion sensor doors activated. No surprise to me seeing as the place was empty. Heck, I'd probably be sleeping if I had to be up late at night with nothing to do.

"A late-night wanderer I see! How may I help you?"

"Got a spare room?"

She gave me a sad look. "Sorry, all of them are filled. The best I can do is let you sleep in the lobby. Don't expect anyone to be quiet for you." I never had the chance to practice setting up my tent. Doing it in the dark would be dumb.

"That'll work for me." I set up a tiny sleeping area against the wall then slept like a rock.

Trainers asking for their Pokémon to be healed was what woke me up in the morning. Some of them quietly laughed at what they thought was my misfortune, but I shrugged it off. Going through the motions of healing and feeding my team was done quickly in order to get to the mart.

Rusturf Tunnel was considered a necessary evil for trainers. The path connected central Hoenn to the west… but it was filled with Whismur. Not only were they relatively weak, they were annoying. Screaming was supposedly a given if anyone was spotted. There were stories about parts of the tunnel collapsing over the years. A group of Whismur yelling at some trainer was almost always determined to be the cause; the path had been cleared since the last incident.

"Where are the earplugs?" I asked the clerk just one step into the mart.

"Up front. Going through the tunnel?"

"Yeah. The Stone Badge is calling my name."

A map was pulled up from underneath the counter. "Avoid going west immediately. Go north  _then_  west. I doubt you want to double back before taking the right way."

Never heard about another path. "Thanks for the advice." The entrance was up a small hill and looked surprisingly inviting.

Darkness was all around me except for one electrical lamp placed by someone working for the league. A warning sign was underneath as a courtesy along with a small version of the map I was shown. My flashlight and compass were substituted for the PokéNav since it didn't have a signal. The beeping telling me that information echoed deep into the cave. I placed my earplugs in before trekking along.

Nothing interesting happened until I was forced to turn west. One Whismur was sleeping against the wall with a few rocks the size of my foot nearby. Going through the makeshift minefield without pointing the flashlight at it was painfully slow, but I made it through. The path was clear on the ground although small groups of the loud normal type Pokémon were sitting on ledges. I angled the light to see what they were up to.

Most of them had their backs to me and the ones were facing me stopped moving. Contrary to what I thought, they didn't start yelling. In fact, they were quiet. I took the light off them and pointed it straight. There were small dips in the ground which I did my best to carefully walk around. One was deeper than I thought and stumbled into a loose section of the tunnel.

"Oh boy… at least I didn't fall on anything," I uttered slightly above a whisper. As I got up, something fell on my head. Yellow and pink colors were by my foot. "Shit," I said at a normal volume.

It started to rub its side before sniffling. "Muuuuuurrrrr."

"Please, no! I'm sorry! I really am!"

It was no use as it went into an uproar. Some noise slipped though the earplugs which didn't bother me while dusting off. My plan fell apart as a dozen of its friends joined in; the noise was too loud for the earplugs to completely drown out. Running forward wasn't an option as more jumped out in front of me.

I threw caution to the wind running back the way I came. Every small rock was kicked and falling in divots didn't bother me as the sound of Whismur footsteps were still behind me. The entrance was like an invisible line that they didn't want to cross when I threw myself outside. Screaming eventually stopped followed by them going back into the tunnel.

Waiting for time to pass was all I could do without risking my hearing. Going back in with Aggron to punt them to the other side of the cave was a possibility, but that was too much. I'd rather not have a battle in close quarters at all. The fact was I needed a Pokémon out next to me as a precaution.

"Swablu, I need your help." She came out next to me near the entrance. "You'll need to sit on my head or shoulder while we go through this tunnel. I'll need you to be quiet until I need your help. It may be dark in there, but you have to trust me." A stern nod was her response as she settled on my head.

The second time through was the same as the first except for me using my flashlight. My PokéNav light wasn't as strong which played to my advantage. I picked Swablu up and set her on the ground; I covered my ears on top of having the earplugs in.

"Use Sing until I tap you." Some of the sound snuck in past my defenses, but it wasn't nearly enough to put me to sleep. "Alright, that should be good enough. Good job! Return."

Echoing a sleepy tune throughout the tunnel paid off as every Whismur was snoozing away. Getting them asleep before one could cry out was huge. Kicked a rock against the wall and the sound echoed? Nothing. Accidently bumped into one? Nothing. Light in their direction? Maybe a twitch before rolling over. Battling was probably the only thing I could do to instantly wake them up.

Light from route 116 illuminated enough of the tunnel to where I didn't need a light anymore. I thought I was in the clear until a single Whismur came out from behind a rock. The thing was smaller than any of the ones I remember chasing me and was trembling. I figured testing the Pokédex out would be a good idea since I could easily run away if it started to cry.

" _Whismur, the Whisper Pokémon. Whismur's communication with other trainers or Pokémon is usually just above a murmur. It will only cry loudly if it senses it is in danger. If it cries long enough, it will eventually fall asleep,"_  the Pokédex relayed back to me. It was proof I had the most recent model; information like that would only show up if I caught it.

Sing must've lost some power or the normal type looking me over woke up faster than normal. We stared at each other before it tried to hide again.

"Relax little guy, I'm not looking for a battle. How about some food since you're up?" It was too terrified to move and tried to yell only for nothing to come out. Must've been a young one. "You'd probably eat if I left, huh? Let me leave the food here. See ya!" Chewing noises echoed as I exited the tunnel.

A small house to the northwest stood out among the terrain but it was off the beaten path. Pokémon that I've never seen in person were all around me. Taillow were high in the trees, Nincada casually walked in front of me, and there was a Skitty or two sleeping by a rock. I felt like I was a child all over again.

Walking through the grass caused the Pokémon to scramble aside from a group of Nincada. The thought of capturing one crossed my mind. Unfortunately, it was probably far behind in terms of strength and I wasn't sure if it would be worth the effort to train it up to speed with everyone else. Rustboro's cobblestone streets on the horizon made me refocus; getting a badge was the main goal.

There was an afternoon rush with people looking for a place to eat lunch. Devon Corporation stood tall in the middle of the city and had the most foot traffic. It came as no surprise that people were too busy to pay attention to where they were walking. Bumping shoulders was expected, but someone didn't take too kindly to it. A folder fell out of his coat.

"Watch where you're going you little runt!" a middle-aged man in formal business attire yelled while trying to pick up some papers.

"Looks like you need a seeing-eye Pokémon," I immediately shot back. Still had the Mauville charm.

He stopped picking up the papers to look at me. "Don't you talk to me like that."

"Bitch, I'll talk to you how I want to talk to you." I took a step before he grabbed my leg.

"Nobody disrespects me like that and just walks away."

I swung my leg free without kicking him. "Guess I'm the first." I continued to the Pokémon Center. The place was bustling although there was only one person in line for the counter.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" Nurse Joy yelled while getting a tray of Poké Balls form the back. The person in front of me was a trainer looking at their badge case. "All set! Congratulations on getting the Stone Badge! Next!"

"Just need a quick scan and then I'm off to the gym."

She let out a sigh before turning around. "You'd be lucky to battle today considering most people in here are also challengers. Check in with the gym receptionist to see if there's an open time slot."

Stupid tunnel causing me a delay. "If that falls through, could I possibly get a room?"

"Every room is taken," she replied while shaking her head.

"Not a problem. I have a tent."

"Repels might be a good idea. I have two right here." My team was given back to me along with the free items. "Good luck with everything!"

The gym had an orange roof like the one in Mauville for convenience to go with a large sign out front. Its lobby was more akin to a museum than a waiting area with rare fossils and stones from across the world. Archaeological tools dating back hundreds of years were also proudly displayed with their history on posters. A few people were doing some sightseeing while I made my way to the reception desk.

"Hello! I'd to schedule an appointment for a gym battle as soon as possible, please."

"Of course. Let me check for an opening." After typing away, I was shown the screen. "Nothing is open today. However, there is an 8:30 battle tomorrow morning open on one condition."

I silently cursed about waiting but kept a straight face. "What's the condition?"

"You'll have to battle in front of Roxanne's classes as to opposed to a public battle."

Most trainers would prefer to battle in the middle of a weekday where any gym would be lucky to get a handful of spectators. Weekends were a mixed bag with more flexibility yet potentially bigger crowds. My experience as a gym trainer made battling in front of a crowd fun. Others would prefer to wait until Ever Grande City to have thousands of people cheering them on.

"Fine by me."

"Perfect! Hold on a second." The receptionist dialed a number. "Roxanne? Hi! I'm going to send a challenger over to the school. He picked the 8:30 battle. Okay… will do. Bye!"

"Why do I have to go to the school? Didn't all the students leave by now?"

"Roxanne has some things she wants to go over with you. She'll be in room 209."

Getting to the school wasn't hard with signs around along with a mass exodus of kids leaving at the final bell. The building was three stories tall with a mix of classrooms for all ages scattered about. Looking around made me hate my former school even more; this one didn't look like it was falling apart. Room 209 still had five teenaged students sitting at their desks. I felt uncomfortable walking into the room as Roxanne wrote something on the whiteboard. She looked a little bit younger than me.

"May I help you?" she sincerely asked.

"Yes. Someone from the gym sent me here to talk to you. I'm trying to get my first badge."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh! You're my challenger for tomorrow! Take a seat and I'll be over. Everyone else, remember, this is detention. Do some work or put your head down."

I almost yelled back at her due to the number of times I've had to stay after school. If it wasn't for not listening in class, it was me forgetting homework. Judging by bruises on the two boys, they were in for fighting. I didn't want to take a guess for the three girls although one of them looked familiar. Roxanne came over with a pen and packet.

"Before you can battle me, you must take this test. Score above an 85% in one hour and I'll accept your challenge."

I gave her a confused look. "You mean going through Mauville's public education system for most of my life wasn't good enough?"

"Every trainer who challenges me is subjected to an exam based on how many badges they have." At least I had a shot of passing since it sounded like my exam was for beginners. "Your time starts now."

My test was broken up into multiple choice and short answer segments for a total of 35 questions. I nearly laughed at how easy it was because it was common knowledge like what a Pecha Berry did or how an Everstone works. Waiting for the hour to end was annoying, but I didn't have a choice. Roxanne took it at the final dismissal bell then graded it in a hurry.

"How'd I do?"

"Perfect score," she said while handing it back.

"First perfect score I've had in a long time. I thought this was  _too_  easy to be honest."

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised at the number of people who don't remember the basics. Since I'm usually a trainer's first gym challenge, I get a lot of requests. My tests are meant to weed out those who aren't quite ready. However, I'm more lenient to trainers that have more badges."

"But why are you teaching too?"

"Part of my public program is being a substitute teacher. I usually have four or five classes per day. My office is in the school so even if I wasn't subbing today, I'd still get your request for a battle."

"That sounds like a lot of work. Is it worth it?"

She smiled. "Since I graduated at the top of my class, I became Rustboro's gym leader with a desire to teach. I may be the youngest gym leader, but I'm arguably the most knowledgeable."

As if I didn't feel embarrassed enough about passing school with an average grade, she had to pile it on. I had to admit that she needed to be special if the league was going to take someone who looked like a high school senior on as a gym leader.

"Miss Roxanne, I have a question," a girl softly asked while still at her desk. I nearly jumped because everyone else had left.

"What is it Caroline?"

"Could you help me talk to my parents? I want to tell them something, but I don't think they'll take me seriously."

That caught the gym leader off guard. "Sure. Are they coming to pick you up?"

"Uh-huh. That's why I was called into the principal's office earlier." It didn't take long for her parents to come bursting through the door.

"Detention!? Caroline… you have some explaining to do!" her mom yelled despite being a few feet away. She took a second to scan the room to read the reactions of everyone then pointed at me. "I know you! You're that trainer that made my daughter cry when we were on vacation in Mauville!"

The father glared at me. "And he's the one that was rude to me earlier. I almost missed a meeting with a client because of you," he said calmly but with a hint of frustration in his voice.

It took me a minute to piece together that Caroline was one of the first trainers I battled at Lostelle's from months ago. She somehow made it to the quarterfinals of the beginner's tournament despite not being comfortable battling and wanted a comfort Pokémon next to her during our battle. The crying came from when I had Swellow blow through her team before her Swablu refused to battle my Linoone.

"Oh yeah! I remember you two! You're still upset about those things, I see."

Roxanne was confused and started to get angry at how the situation was unfolding. "What's that supposed to mean?" I wanted to smile and get overly cocky, but it wasn't the time for that. The least I could do was be honest in a clam tone.

"You ever hear of Lostelle's?" Roxanne shook her head in confusion. "Well, it's a casino with a battle area. Caroline and I battled in the quarterfinals of a beginner's tournament for a shot at 10,000P down the line. Long story short, her parents urged her to battle and she clearly didn't want to be there." The gym leader glared at them but didn't say a word.

"How dare you come to this school and utter such nonsense!" the mother shot back.

"Nonsense!? If I remember correctly, you said that either one of you could beat me in a battle. Here's your chance to prove me wrong since you're still upset about our previous encounters."

They hesitated for a minute before the mother leaned closer to me. "I'd like that very much," she hissed.

"Good. We'll walk to the south gate together."

Roxanne walked to the door. "You can use the school fields outside. Caroline, you can watch from the window or come down."

The student had stayed quiet the entire time and simply put her head down. Dragging out her day at school was selfish on my part. However, her parents were easy to bait into a battle and I wanted to shut them up for good. Our group walked to the small set of bleachers to prepare. I thought about using my Pokédex for an advantage, but figured it wasn't worth it.

"Hope you don't mind a sneak peek of my Pokémon," I playfully told the gym leader.

She didn't seem to get the message. "This is all on you."

Caroline's mother wanted the first battle which was what I was hoping for. She managed to stop berating me long enough to agree to a one on one battle since any of us didn't want to drag it out. We also were happy with the idea of sending out our Pokémon at the same time. Roxanne was oddly excited to act as the judge.

"Go Linoone!"

"Go Shiftry!"

For a Pokémon that didn't have all its trust in me a few days ago, Linoone was still eager to throw down. Maybe it was the thrill of facing a strong opponent or maybe it got over its frustration. He hadn't seen the battlefield in a long time as well. Shiftry was also excited to show off its strength. I couldn't be happier with how everything was set up.

"You can go first," I offered. She was more than happy to take the opportunity.

"Fake Out!"

"Sand Attack!"

It was a worth a shot to see if I could get an attack off, but it didn't work. Shiftry stopped in the middle of its attack which confused Linoone, only to smack it on its side. It was a little surprising to see her strategically battling as opposed to winging it.

"Not bad. Linoone, get back up and use Pin Missile!"

The flurry of needles shot in five separate rounds nailed the grass and dark type for a huge hit. I was ready to continue put on the pressure, but Shiftry fainted. Even Roxanne was surprised at how short the round was.

"Shiftry is unable to battle. Linoone wins!" Caroline's mother angerly recalled her Pokémon then stared me down.

"Cheating is something I'm not too fond of," she angrily said.

I couldn't tell if she was being serious or trying to make excuses. "No cheating going on. Linoone was clearly the stronger Pokémon."

"What!? Pokémon that evolve through stones are clearly stronger!"

That dumb bitch. "Tell me something… when did you evolve it? I'm being sincere."

"Not long after Seedot evolved into Nuzleaf," she replied.

I stared at her with my arms out in frustration then looked over to the bleachers. No amount of shoulder shrugging or weird faces from me would convince her that she made a mistake. Did it make sense to evolve a Pokémon so quickly outside of a battling environment? Yes. Any evolved Pokémon can look stronger to the average person or help in other ways. I could evolve a newborn Vulpix into Ninetales and some people would fear it. The problem is that a Pokémon like that can get exposed in a heartbeat.

"Alrighty then… your husband is up next. I'm not going to use Linoone anymore."

He wasn't as arrogant as his wife, but he was still angry. The scary part was that he looked focused. Revealing Aggron or Magneton in front of Roxanne would hurt my chances of winning against her tomorrow. I wouldn't mind taking a loss since he was more professional about the situation. We got set and Roxanne gave us the signal.

"Persian, it's time to battle!"

"Go Swablu!"

An interesting turn of events by seeing a Pokémon not native to Hoenn across from me. Was it more domesticated or was it an actual threat? My courtesy went out the window as I took the first move.

"Cotton Guard!"

"Rush in with Fury Swipes!"

Swablu's wings grew twice as large before protecting its face. Fury Swipes couldn't break through to cause significant damage. My Pokémon backed up to create space.

"Round!"

"Cancel it with Screech!" Holy shit… he actually knew his stuff. Dust circles formed when the two soundwave attacks collided. My opponent was looking to strike quickly. "Bite!"

"Corkscrew in with Take Down!" Glowing teeth just grazed Swablu as it rammed into Persian's cheek. "Now put it to sleep with Sing!"

"Don't let that happen! Screech!"

A loud hum echoed across the field before the normal type had a chance to counter. Screaming couldn't get it to wake up and neither did multiple Take Downs. For better or worse, it fainted before it had a chance to wake up.

"Persian is unable to battle. Swablu wins!"

Their anger was redirected at me embarrassing them in front of their daughter. Roxanne asked me to leave knowing that nothing good could come out of me staying. Our gym battle was still on despite the little episode she witnessed which was a relief. I walked to route 104 while enjoying the allure of colorful billboards except for one empty spot and went about setting up my tent for the evening.

Questioning the directions at every opportunity made it hard, but I managed to create a relatively safe place to relax. Repels added another layer of security. Everyone had their dinner although they were quiet about it; Aggron ate by himself with his back turned to us. A pep talk was in order.

"Listen up! Tomorrow, we're going to battle for a badge. I need everyone on standby because nothing is a given in a gym battle." They weren't as excited as I had thought, but the message had been delivered before I recalled them all.

I debated calling my parents until I realized it would be easier to call them after the battle regardless of the outcome. Keeping them in the dark about collecting badges was possible, but then they would keep asking about work. There was only so much I could lie about before blowing my cover. At least they could sleep easy knowing I did what I set out to do.

* * *

Waking up 7:45 when the sun was just coming up was a lot more frustrating than I thought. Packing everything up with my eyes closed allowed me to sneak in a few more minutes of haphazard sleep. Rustboro was already bustling on my way to the Pokémon Center and the school was no exception. I continued to the gym to sign in.

"My name is Ryan. I have the 8:30 battle."

"Okay. And how many badges do you have, again?"

I thought I answered the question when I signed up yesterday. "Zero. Am I battling the gym leaders out of order?"

"There is no correct order. Hoenn has adopted a recent strategy from Kanto where a leader will use certain Pokémon based on the challenger's badge total. If you had six badges, Roxanne might use a Rhydon instead of what she will use in your battle. Good luck!"

Roxanne had already had her students sitting in the bleachers and our official was inspecting the battle area. All age groups in the school were represented with the 10-year-olds being the most excited while the ones closer to graduation took my battle as a chance to talk to each other. There were roughly five groups of 25 students per group. Two league workers set up a camera to record the battle as well. Not a bad crowd, but the cameras were something different.

"Glad you're on time!" she said from the other side of the field.

"Me too. I was never a fan of waking up so early in the morning even if it was for something exciting. Can't do anything about it, though." The referee took his place at midfield just outside the lines.

"This is an official Hoenn League battle for the Stone Badge! Both trainers will use two Pokémon and only the challenger can substitute. The battle is over when both of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle or if there is a forfeit. My decisions are final. Any questions for the challenger?"

"No sir."

"Very well. The gym leader will send out her Pokémon first and the challenger will decide if he wants to move first. Wait for my signal before starting each round." With a camera recording, it was in his best interest to be as thorough as possible.

Despite me knowing the rules, it took a lot of pressure off to hear the advantages I had. Verbal agreements have led to problems in the past at the schoolyard for me. Coin flipping used to be a staple until the league decided to give trainers every possible advantage in gym battles. As far as the battles in Ever Grande City went, the coin flip method or seeding determined how a battle would start.

"Geodude will be my first choice. Here we go!" Ah yes, a Pokémon that gave Mauville's gym some trouble.

Choosing Aggron right out of the gate would hurt me more than help me. I had no doubt that he would knock Geodude out in one hit. The main problem was that it didn't look like it was going to listen to me. Another problem was that I had a ridiculously strong Pokémon for someone with no badges. There were probably a few trainers who waited to challenge the leaders on purpose, but I would assume the leaders would communicate with each other.

Sweeping with Aggron could make my next challenge harder because instead weaker Pokémon, the leader would be using fully evolved ones. They would also have stronger moves to work with. I'd be put in a situation where they're matching Aggron but nobody else on my team comes close to how strong he is. If Aggron went down, my odds of losing the battle spiked. Playing the part of a somewhat inexperienced trainer was the safer bet although I wasn't happy about it.

"Linoone, you're up!"

I made him a promise years ago that he would be the first Pokémon for the first leader. He looked around the field and sensed the magnitude of our battle; he could tell it was a gym battle if I didn't tell him last night.

"You got a perfect score on my test, yet you lead with that? I've never seen that strategy before. How odd," she sincerely noted. I found it hard to believe that she could trash talk. Then again, criticizing an opponent in a monotonous tone could rile someone up.

Our referee raised the flags. "Linoone versus Geodude. Begin!"

The first move was mine. "Sand Attack!"

"Defense Curl!" Roxanne immediately ordered after I was done.

Linoone's claws dug up as much of the field as possible while Geodude curled into a ball. Nothing looked like it was getting through. Stopping then starting back up again caught the rock and ground type off-guard as it opened itself up; it resorted to rubbing its eyes.

"Covet!"

As Geodude was getting its bearings together, Linoone put on a cute face. He sold it well right up to the point of him tackling and scratching the opponent. I didn't think she would equip an item, but that didn't stop my Pokémon from trying to find one.

"Rock Tomb!"

"Get out of there Linoone!"

His greed caused him to get flung into the air by a rock pillar. When he landed, he was surrounded by more pillars. Even the students who weren't into the battle started to pay attention.

"Hack your way out with Slash!" A faint glow came from the top of its enclosure before the front was completely destroyed. "Rush in!"

Roxanne was beyond confused, but she felt the need to match my aggressiveness. "Rock Tomb!"

Linoone's speed in an open area was too much for Roxanne's Pokémon to handle. Dodging the attack while running closer put it in a bad spot. Unlike the last attack, he swung his claws until Geodude collapsed from the pain. They still looked sharp after the onslaught.

"Geodude is unable to battle. Linoone wins!"

I immediately looked at the bleachers to gauge the reaction of the students. Some of them laughed wondering what happened while the younger kids were awestruck. They probably never thought a normal type could beat a rock type. Roxanne needed to tell them any Pokémon can beat any Pokémon under certain circumstances if she hadn't done that already.

"Now there's something you don't see often. Can Linoone handle my Nosepass?"

The substitution was made and we were staring down an awkward looking Pokémon. It couldn't have been much stronger than Geodude. However, Linoone just got done expending a lot of energy. Swablu or Aggron would be an awful choice which left Magneton. Maybe she wouldn't think about it like she would with Aggron; it was a weaker Pokémon overall.

"Ref, I'm making a switch. Magneton, you're in for Linoone!"

My second Pokémon was looking neutral about the idea of a gym battle. It looked like it was willing to listen to me although I wouldn't be surprised if it did its own thing. Nosepass shifted in its place and Magneton suddenly became upset. It started floating closer to the center of the field against its will.

"Magneton versus Nosepass. Battle!"

Roxanne didn't look very happy about my second choice. "Rock Tomb!"

Nosepass' attack was clearly stronger although Magneton hardly felt a thing. Its steel body deflected the rocks, but it was still trapped behind a makeshift wall.

"Use Metal Sound!" I ordered hoping it would provide a decent distraction. Pillars of rocks came up from beneath the ground in an attempt to make my attack stop. Magneton was still hugging the rocks against its will. "Switch up to Flash Cannon!"

A bright beam of concentrated steel particles broke through its prison. There was more than enough firepower leftover to nail the opposing rock type. Magnet Pull worked in my favor because Nosepass had no hope of dodging the attack. It was sent flying into the back wall for what may have been the quickest knockout in any gym battle I've seen.

"Nosepass is unable to battle. Magneton wins! This match goes to the challenger!" Roxanne took a deep breath before recalling her Pokémon.

The students clapped in appreciation or just out of respect. Filming went from a tripod setup to a crew member putting the camera on his shoulder. We all met at midfield for a handshake.

"Congratulations on your victory. In accordance with league rules, I present you with the Stone Badge!" It was a little heavier than I thought, but I liked how shiny it was. "Here's my TM disc as well. It contains Rock Tomb."

"Thank you very much," I whispered while trying to keep my composure. I was shaking from excitement.

"Good luck in your future challenges." The crew stopped recording so Roxanne could round everyone up. "Follow me to the school," she whispered before going out the front door.

Questioning the legitimacy of the battle was the biggest thing on my mind the entire walk back. Was there a clause in the rules about trainers who wait a long time to take the gym challenge? She was too smart to play me off as a complete rookie after she saw me battle Caroline's parents. Her first period class got a set of instructions before she met me outside her classroom.

"Haven't seen a trainer like you in a long time. I assume any other Pokémon you have are evolved," she bluntly stated. I kept quiet to see where she was going. "Don't get too cocky; I've heard of trainers stop training their team and just expect to blow through the gym leaders in a week. Don't waste your potential. That said… thank you for knocking Caroline's parents down a level. We had our talk after you left and it went smoother than I imagined."

She had a legitimate argument about my potential. I've waited for at least six years to take the league challenge and I had trained my Pokémon in that time; I knew I could've won in two moves. That wasn't going to fly once I got to my fifth badge or so. Would it be wasting my potential to battle people like Caroline's parents or would battling people I had a shot against help all the time?

"Understood. Hey… have you heard of a place called 'Pokémon Services' at all?"

"They're based in Mauville and specialize in Pokémon rehabilitation, right?" I slowly nodded. "Why do you ask?"

It stood to reason that some word was getting out after months of being open. "I've heard stories where the Pokémon they work on come out worse than when they went in." Drawing on Maddie's observations was all I could do since mentioning my experiences could get me in trouble.

"Maybe that's because the first few sessions are when the injury is fresh. I'm not an expert on injuries, but that seems normal. It takes time for certain things to heal," she replied with a soft voice. I think I came off as too ignorant and had to roll with it.

"Oh! I see." I still had a legitimate yet unrelated question. "Also, I need some clarification on how the HM discs work. What's the difference between riding on a Swampert without Surf and one with Surf? How does that work?"

"Excellent question! The disc makes subtle changes to a Pokémon's body. There's no definitive answer, but most researchers assume muscles get exponentially stronger and natural abilities get enhanced. Hariyama is naturally strong, but teaching it Strength would reduce the strain on its body when moving large boulders."

I was even more intrigued. "How far could my Swablu carry me without the disc for Fly? I don't have it now." She let out an innocent laugh and I tried not to blush. I couldn't believe I actually asked that question.

"Not very far. You'd be lucky to make to the edge of Petalburg Woods. With a disc, it has the potential to carry you around the region without resting. In either case, it would be uncomfortable for both of you."

"What if I evolved it into Altaria?"

"Well, Altaria's body is more comfortable for you to hitch a ride on. The problem is, again, it would get tired sooner without the disc. Weigh your options before trying anything dangerous."

Flying around would have to wait. "That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation."

"No problem! Where are you going next?"

"Petalburg City. I'm trying to get my second badge as soon as possible."

She gave me a somewhat concerned look. "I'd wait on battling Norman even if he changes his team. He tends to lack a certain level of compassion for trainers with few badges. You could probably handle his attitude, but you'd have a better experience if you came in with at least four badges. Maybe go to Dewford Town or Mauville City instead?"

Going home would have to wait. "Dewford Town sounds interesting. I've never been there so maybe I can get some sightseeing in too."

"It's only a suggestion. Don't let me take you off your path. Anything else?"

"Nope. Thanks for everything!" She walked into her classroom to start the first lesson. I took the rest of the morning to explore what Rustboro had to offer.

Devon Corporation's headquarters offered tours, so I took advantage of that. What they had done for trainers across the world was unparalleled. Items were meticulously inspected for defects, new Pokémon Center healing machines were being tested, posters for what appeared to be new Poké Balls were hanging on a conference room wall, and the items underneath the glass on the lobby floor were rare as well. I took my team back to the Pokémon Center to heal before heading south.

The last thing I saw on the way out of the city was a large billboard that wasn't there yesterday. A cute Mudkip was sitting down and sadly staring at the ground with a bandage wrapped around a leg; it took up about half the space along with an arrow pointing to the right. The other half showed it high-fiving a trainer without the bandage. Two sentences got the point across and I knew I was in for a long fight.

_Need more than a Pokémon Center? Pokémon Services is now open in Mauville City!_


	16. Dewford Connections

The billboard had me feeling everything from anger to hopelessness on the way to Petalburg Woods. My plan to spread the word would become less effective over time. In fact, my current plan wasn't even good enough. Yelling in the streets about how bad they were with Maddie's limited information and my seemingly farfetched experience wasn't going to do the trick. Knowing how cold and calculating Ardos was, any mistakes would be shoved under the rug.

Channeling my emotions into trainer battles along route took my mind off the Pokémon Services situation. I let the other trainers make wagers since they had more of an interest in money than I did. If they didn't want to bet, I was fine with that. Most of them had teammates that weren't strong, but I went easier on them with Swablu. Magneton and Linoone got in some light work on their way to victory. Aggron was the only one I didn't use for fear of it not listening to me; he'd have to come out eventually.

Route 104 slowly merged into Petalburg Woods with trees surrounding me on all sides. The league had done its best to maintain a somewhat safe path for trainers to walk on, but the entire forest was fair game to explore. An eerie feeling came over the place once some clouds rolled in and there had been no signs of any other trainers. I had a feeling I was being watched from the trees or a Pokémon was behind me waiting to strike.

A group of Shroomish didn't take kindly to me being in their way, so I had to take a few steps back to let them pass. Dustox swarms protected Cascoon nests that were only a few feet off the ground; I used my peripheral vision to instead of looking directly at them. Moving forward at a consistent pace while looking straight ahead was going to cause the least amount of trouble. The tension increased when I saw a man anxiously look around before hiding behind a bush surrounded by trees. I found my own tree to hide behind nearby.

"Your boss dragged my ass out here for this exchange?"

"Walking into Devon's headquarters would be too much of a hassle. I'd rather not be searched. Do you have the envelope or not?" A male voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't see a face.

"Right here. You have what I want?"

The other shifted enough for me to see only an arm and a leg when he handed over a small bag. "Mister V honors all his contracts. We'll keep in touch." I didn't move as they made their way to the path before going north.

"Fuck me. Fuck me for not doing a damn thing," I mumbled to myself.

Acting shady was a good reason to break up whatever deal just went down. The problem was I didn't know what was going on. What was in the small bag and the envelope? Better yet, what would've happened to me? Losing to any company employee was not an option because there was a good chance that I'd lose more than just the battle.

Going through the rest of the dense forest was as intense before the secret handoff. My only saving graces were small groups Wurmple moving around as if I wasn't there or any Slakoth being naturally lazy. They weren't on my radar, but Shroomish was something I seriously considered raising. I waited until I was closer to the south exit to try to find one alone.

"Alright you small… sometimes adorable looking… thing. Where would you be hiding?" I took a risk by venturing into thicker grass to find one. There was one sleeping behind a rock that I almost woke up. "You snooze, you lose," I whispered before finding a Poké Ball to throw.

Quickly throwing the ball while it was sleeping didn't stop it from waking up after it was tapped. The red and white object rattled on the ground. To my displeasure, it broke out of the ball and was obviously pissed off. I let Magneton out to face it.

"Try Metal Sound!" The frequency had it frozen in place trying to cope with the uncomfortable noise. "Spark, but not at full power. We're not trying to knock it out."

It surprised us by charging in with a Tackle attack. Magneton easily overpowered it although some purple spores were left on its body. Shroomish took its time standing back up as if it was waiting for something to happen.

"Poison from Effect Spore isn't going to work here little guy."

It held out a bit longer then got frustrated about how its plan didn't work. A yellow powder was shot out and slowly filled the makeshift battle area. I immediately pulled my shirt up to my nose; more Shroomish came after it started to make a scene. Having more than one using Stun Spore was going to kill me.

"We're getting out of here! Magneton, return!"

Using force to make other Pokémon faint was the basis of battling. In a trainer battle, there was a general understanding of how everyone should act. Wild Pokémon rarely grasped the concept of restraint and relied on instinct to survive. Even the friendliest ones rarely hopped into a trainer's arms at first sight. Dealing with a physically strong Pokémon was easier for me than one that had chemicals that could kill me or at least leave me unable to live a normal life. The group didn't give chase seeing as I could easily outrun them or their spores.

Route 104's coastline was a welcome sight once I made sure nothing had followed me out. A small boathouse sat on the beach a short distance away with a boat at the dock. Relying on an individual to help me cross the sea made me feel uncomfortable. I could continue to Littleroot Town and take a ferry from the league if I started having second thoughts.

A young teen in a blue suit, blue dress pants, and blonde hair was coming to me while casually tossing a ball. He intentionally slowed down hoping I would pay attention to him; I did.

"What's up?"

"I'm looking for a challenge. Think you can handle my Pokémon after all the money I spent on preparing them for our journey?"

I rolled my eyes. "Kid… what's your name?"

"That's not relevant," he shot back.

"Would you like to be called 'kid' or your real name?"

He let out a sigh. "Winston. Now tell me your name. In fact, tell me where you're from too."

What a spoiled brat. "Okay Winston, my name's Ryan and I'm from Mauville. How do you want to do this?"

"Just a single round. You look like a typical east-side person who doesn't have too much money, so I'll let you decide what to do." I almost wanted to take him to the nearest ATM and shut him up.

"How's 2,000P sound?"

Winston raised an eyebrow. "Quite the wager."

"I'm not exactly poor. Now send out your Pokémon."

"Zigzagoon, I choose you!" He was actually serious; I wanted to crush his soul.

"Aggron, you're up."

Putting him in after a long hiatus was supposed to make him feel good; that wasn't the case. He stared down at the tiny normal type as if it were an inconvenience. The pouting came back in full force.

"Big deal! Zigzagoon is more disciplined and has a special TM move to deal with steel types!"

All talk, no walk. "Hear that Aggron? They don't think you'll win. Do whatever you want to prove them wrong."

Seeing him flash a wide grin was simultaneously relieving and terrifying. He was still willing to battle, but only if I convinced him that the opponent was talking shit. I also had a feeling he would put aside his attitude if another large Pokémon stood across from him. A type disadvantage might be another thing that gets his adrenaline pumping. Would I be able to control him?

Winston couldn't wait any longer. "Hidden Power!"

Glowing balls were shot at Aggron and created a small explosion. The smoke thinned with Aggron scratching his chest in a taunting fashion. He retaliated with Iron Tail and slapped the normal type into next week. My opponent quickly pulled out a Full Restore before rushing over to his partner's side. I never imagined anyone using a Full Restore on a Zigzagoon.

"That won't work," I bluntly stated after recalling Aggron. "It needs a Pokémon Center. Reviving it would work too."

"R-right," Winston stuttered. It was like he had never seen a fainted Pokémon before. He called it back then started walking back the way he came.

"Hold on a minute! You have to pay up!" He looked back at me before attempting to run away. I eventually tackled him to the ground. "Give me my money. Zigzagoon is going to be fine inside its ball," I calmly yet sternly said.

"Please don't hurt me!" he wailed with tears coming down his eyes.

"Shut the fuck up and calm down!" I let go of his suit and stood over him while he took deep breaths. "Look rich boy, pulling a stunt like that is never a good idea." He composed himself long enough to hand over the money.

"You didn't have to tackle me like that."

Again, I rolled my eyes at his lack of self-awareness. "You may think what I did was bad and frankly, I don't give a shit. Don't fuck around with money because you never know how people will react." He sprinted back to Petalburg once he had everything in order.

There were no other trainers nearby to battle and there were no Pokémon I wanted to catch. The beach and boathouse had more activity compared to when I first saw it; probably locals looking to enjoy the nice weather in the late afternoon. I took some time to admire the tiny ferry on the way to the entrance. There were some beach items and a counter that guarded a back door.

"Hello?" A Wingull poked its head out from behind the counter. "Is your trainer here?" It squawked a few times before I heard footsteps.

"Peeko, I'm coming!" An elderly man made his way to the cash register. "You can call me Mister Briney, captain, or just Briney. What brings you to my cottage?"

Vinny's former shipmate looked fit for an elderly man. "Hello! My name is Ryan and I was wondering if you could give me a ride to Dewford Town so I could battle the gym leader. I don't have a Pokémon that get me across the ocean."

He let out a loud, happy laugh. "Of course! Retirement or running the shop from my cottage can get boring at times. Give me about two hours to inspect everything."

Mister Briney made Peeko grab a clipboard so he could get started. Through all the excitement, I realized I hadn't called my parents. Nervousness came over me as I started to dial since I didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Hello?" I almost hung up out of shock since I was expecting the answering machine to get it.

"Mom! How's it going?"

"Oh honey, it's so good to hear from you! We're doing fine. Tell me how the journey is going so far." She sounded off even though I left a note.

I skipped the whole Pokémon Services portion before and after meeting Latias although I told her I left my job. Telling her I didn't want a fancy going away party hurt deep down, but I needed to skip town. I ranted about the Whismur experience and how I had to take a test before my battle against Roxanne; she nearly squealed when I told her the Stone Badge was in my pocket.

Lucas and Sadie had called home at some point to report they were doing well for themselves. My younger brother continued to impress his coach and even caught a Quagsire in Johto to expand his role. Lucas and Electrike were the anchors for the relay team, but Quagsire could do wonders in the ring drop event. Sadie worked on a few private forecasts to pick up some extra money and gain more respect.

"Well, I'm heading to Dewford soon."

"Alrighty! Bye, Ryan!"

Knots started to form in my stomach the longer I thought about everything I left out. Getting them involved in my mess was something I had zero intention of doing. Either I could hide everything from them or a certain amount truth would eventually be revealed to them though someone else. She also didn't mention the money I left on the table.

"Ryan, we're good to go! Hop on!" the captain yelled from the dock.

His boat had a covered navigation area at the stern on the main deck to go with some benches. Below deck housed three air mattresses with blankets along with more benches. Portholes with some extra lighting made for a nice view. It clearly wasn't meant for long voyages and maybe could comfortably hold a dozen people. I sat on an outside bench near the bow as we pulled away from the shore of route 104. The ocean breeze combined with the sun caused me to fall asleep.

My sleep was interrupted by vision of a dimly lit room. Empty cages lined the walls while a group of people stood over an operating table. I couldn't make out what they had to say until one ordered a Heal Pulse from the shadows. Everything else was incoherent and then it suddenly ended with a blinding flash.

Mister Briney was gently shaking me. "Hey! Hey! Are you alright!?"

"Ah!" He let go to let me catch my breath. "What happened?"

"You were shaking in your sleep and nearly threw yourself overboard."

"Just had a bad dream, I guess." With the second one in a week, I had a hard time believing it was a simple nightmare. I swore I saw Latios high in the sky for a second before disappearing in front of my eyes; rubbing them made sure I was awake. "How long has it been since we left your cottage?"

"Give or take 45 minutes. We've still got an hour and a half to go." He went back to maneuvering his boat.

I opted to have small talk with him to take our minds off what happened. Once I mentioned Vinny, he was off to the races. Stories about small incidents to big adventures helped pass the time. We arrived near north shoreline on route 106, but he kept going east then eventually south.

"The town looks a lot bigger than on the map," I said after noticing a large cluster of buildings.

"Don't be fooled. Dewford Hall is the northernmost building and there's nothing past it except Granite Cave." He let the waves guide him through the narrow waterway while accelerating or steering as he needed it. "Take the rope on the starboard side and lasso it over a post."

After misjudging the throw twice, I got it to stay and Mister Briney took care of the rest. We exchanged numbers in the event he had to go back to his cottage; he was willing to stay overnight. I handed him the 2,000P I won earlier.

"Captain, here's a little something for your trouble."

His eyes lit up. "Thank you!" I had a little bit of daylight left to glance around the town before heading to the Pokémon Center. For better or worse, it was as empty as Fallarbor Town. At least this Nurse Joy was paying attention.

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

"Is there a room I could stay in for the night?"

She hesitated to give me a key. "Let me go back with you to make sure it has everything you need. We haven't had a room request in a long time. Anything else while we're up here?"

Not sure how I was supposed to feel about that statement. "Do I sign up for a gym battle here or at the gym?"

"Here. Brawly's gym is… eccentric this time around."

Despite the league giving challengers a lot of advantages, gym leaders still had some secrets until someone went in the gym. Asking around could help, but leaders could change how they handled certain things daily. The league never revealed what Pokémon were used; only the Pokémon type was allowed to be published because that wouldn't change.

"Okay then, let's look at some match times," I said as she turned the screen.

Brawly had every slot open for the upcoming week. He wasn't an early riser with his earliest battle at 10:30 in the morning although his last challenge was at 6:30 instead of 5:00. I took advantage of that since I didn't want to wait much longer.

"All set! Follow me to your room."

There were only four rooms in the back and they were smaller than the one in Fallarbor. Only a twin bed, desk, and lamp sat in the room. At least I had a view of the ocean in the distance.

"You guys don't get a lot of trainers, do you?"

"Not this time of the year, anyway. Granite Cave goes through a flooding period later in the year and spelunking is a big deal."

"Spe-what?"

"Cave diving. You never know what will wash up. Last year's big find was a Swampertite."

Knowing my luck, I'd probably find an Everstone. "Never knew that was a thing."

"Dewford Hall has some old flyers if you're interested." She went back to the front desk and I had some alone time to plan.

Once I physically sat down at the desk to plan potential lineups, I realized I was beyond fucked. Magneton, Linoone, and Aggron were weak to fighting. Aggron had a quadruple weakness, but had the highest physical defense of anyone on my team. Swablu also had no flying moves in its arsenal unless…

"Nurse joy!" I yelled while running down the hallway. "Nurse Joy! What time does the mart open tomorrow morning?"

"Should be open around 9 o'clock."

Didn't want to wake up early, but I had to if I wanted to stand a chance.

* * *

Instead of motivating my team outside like last time, I treated it like it was an ordinary day. My chemistry with Aggron had gotten a little bit better seeing as he was willing to face everyone when he ate. I walked over to the gym only to see someone walking in through the side; I thought I was the first battle of the day. The referee of all people stopped me from entering.

"You must use the front entrance," she sternly ordered. Then she went inside and locked the door on me.

"Unbelievable," I whispered to myself. The front door was open, but it was pitch black. "Hello? You guys open?"

A different league employee came out from the shadows and handed me a small lantern that ran on batteries. I could maybe see one yard in front of me at best. From what I gathered, I was in a reception area.

"Welcome to the Dewford Town gym. To face Brawly, you must make it through his maze."

I gave the official a weird look. "What? With this as my guide?"

"Correct. You are not allowed to use any Pokémon to help you along the way. Ready?" the official asked while pointing me in the direction I was supposed to go.

"Bring it on."

Humming from the ventilation system was the only noise echoing as I walked down a long hallway. Brawly's attempt at leaving me with my own thoughts about battling him was a good mind trick, but it didn't work. I was too upset about the lantern that could potentially die out on me or that it took me so long to realize fighting types wrecked my team. I eventually passed through a door to a long hallway.

Lights graced a large hallway leading up to Brawly's door and there were red buttons on the wall equidistant from each other. After the first one, there were three back and yellow treadmills with no handles instead of steps. It was too easy; one step into the light confirmed my suspicion.

They all went from zero to insanely fast in under five seconds. Jumping to the next level on a stationary one was no problem; not so much at a high rate of speed. Lucas would love the challenge of trying to make it up while I was already feeling the rash.

"Fantastic! Cardio was always my favorite," I sarcastically said out loud. The red button looked like my only way to stop it aside from aside from having Aggron smash it to pieces. "Hope it's not the fire alarm or some other bullshit."

Nothing happened to the machine although the corridor to the left lit up for roughly five seconds before slowly fading to black. A locker area with benches and towels lying around was a little odd; apparently the building was an  _actual_ gym. I gave Brawly credit for having a backup plan if my lantern went out as I slowly made my way through the area.

"Boo!" a woman yelled as she came out of a locker.

"What the fuck!?" I yelped.

"Ha! Works every time. I'm one of Brawly's assistants and you have to battle me in order to progress. Let's go to the hallway." We took out places and the referee who locked me out showed up from where I came in.

"One Pokémon each and release them at the same time. Begin!"

I went with the obvious choice. "Swablu!"

"Meditite!"

Using my main move wasn't needed. "Take Down!"

"Confusion!"

Good idea in theory, but Swablu easily broke through Meditite's control to land a big hit. I had my Pokémon do another one to ensure a knockout. She probably thought a little cotton ball couldn't do much.

"Meditite is unable to battle. Swablu wins!"

We shook hands and then she sat on the hallway floor to do her paperwork. She also told me there wasn't another trainer lurking in her corridor which put me at ease. A small incline was present as I slowly navigated my way back to the hallway. I jokingly waved at the two before feeling my way into another corridor. The red button did its job, but the area appeared to be more crowded.

Stationary bikes, more benches, a treadmill, and dumbbells scattered on the floor made running through a bad idea. An empty treadmill was on probably to provide more background noise. My lantern had to be constantly be raised and lowered to navigate the area.

"Wonder how many people hurt themselves?" I thought out loud.

"A few, but they were fine," a man responded in the darkness.

"Holy shit! Where are you!?"

He hopped off a bike. "Getting in a quick workout. Let's go in the hallway for our battle."

Our entrance in the hallway caused the treadmill that led back to the entrance to stop. The assistant I beat must've flipped a switch somewhere to let the referee step up and get in position. I also noticed another trainer leaning against the wall farther down; she eventually put in earbuds and hid. Two in a row, huh? I could deal with that.

"Magneton, you're up!"

"Here we go, Machop!"

Despite the type disadvantage, I had the strength advantage. "Spark!"

"Karate Chop!"

Magneton had other plans and used Flash Cannon instead. I couldn't complain about the quick knockout, but it was frustrating to have it not listen to me in a gym setting. The referee reluctantly raised the flag.

"Machop is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

They took care of their business as I walked closer to the final black and yellow treadmill. I noticed there were two corridors, but only one red button. Pushing it lit both ones up although it didn't help much; I could only see a bench on either side. The assistant came over to me.

"Frustrated yet?" I blankly stared at her. "You have two options right now. The first one is to battle me before moving through the corridor or you can try to reach the next level using the treadmill without battling me."

"Wait… you could jump on them? I thought they were meant to deter people from taking the easy path."

"Doesn't mean you can't try. However, this last one has a catch."

"Of course," I sighed.

She pretended to ignore my tone. "If you decide to take the treadmill, you can try as many times as you want. You will not be allowed to take the corridor. Should you get tired or injured, you will have to forfeit the challenge for today."

Clever idea to give a trainers' Pokémon a break right before Brawly, but it was a big risk. How many trainers succeeded in taking a literal leap of faith? Making the jump onto the belt would be easier if the damn thing wasn't moving so fast. The idea of an official following me made sense because they could see if I was cheating.

"I'll take the battle." We took our spots and were given the signal to start a two on two match.

"Meditite, I choose you!"

"Linoone, get out here and use Slash!" He sprinted down the hallway to deliver a one hit knockout. "Too easy!"

She didn't appreciate how confident I was. "Go Machop! Low Kick!"

"Cut it down!"

Linoone scored another easy victory although he took a small hit. He seemed to have the best attitude out of the original three members I left at home. All the practice we did was paying off and he knew it.

"The battle is over!" our referee exclaimed to make it official. I opted to try the right corridor first.

Intentional or not, it was a dead end. Exercise equipment blocked my path back to the hallway and I had to turn back. The left one had too many dumbbells on the floor in a tight area which caused me to trip; pretty sure I indented one of the flimsy metal lockers. With nothing else in the way, I made to Brawly's room.

The area was a giant circle with various pieces of exercise equipment around the outside. A regulation battlefield was in the middle and Brawly was working out at midfield. Lucas would've seen him as a rival based on how chiseled he was. Although I doubt Lucas could surf like Brawly.

"Hey! There's my challenger! How'd you like the maze? Jump onto any treadmills?" he enthusiastically asked.

"Maybe if you slowed them down. The scenic route was… interesting. Anyway, we're going to battle in here? This seems a bit crowded."

Brawly shook his head. "This field is meant for light sparring. I'll take you to where our battle will take place." He pulled two switches on the wall and led me back into the hallway.

Every trainer that I defeated was waiting at the other end. One switch had shut down the black and yellow treadmills while the other one turned on the lights for the entire gym. Nobody said a word as we went outside to the door I wasn't allowed to go in.

"Field's a little unconventional my man," he said while opening it. The area was honestly breathtaking once we walked through a tunnel.

Colosseum-like was the best way to describe the atmosphere. Our field essentially was a large raised rectangular slab of rock surrounded by the ocean; the trainer's box wasn't even connected to the field. Rocks of various sizes and sharpness were sticking up around the field as well. Bleachers were far enough away from the field to keep the dozen or so audience members safe. An open sky was a huge plus for me.

"We all set?" Brawly yelled to the person who I thought was another challenger earlier but turned out to be another assistant.

"All clear!"

I made my way to the trainer's box and got a good view of the surrounding area. The ocean covered up any potential flat rocks to stand on or swim to if something went horribly wrong. The referee that had followed me around took their place beside us while the official who gave me the lantern called out a Tropius to ride on and watch over the moat.

"This will be a two on two battle. In the event a Pokémon strays from the white lines of the main field and happens to be recalled, the down official will decide if the round should be forfeited. All other rules will be enforced. Any questions?"

A little harsh considering how tossing a Pokémon out of the established battle area was a legitimate strategy. Then again, it did prevent people from some reckless behavior. I shook my head and let Brawly make his selection.

"From what I've gathered, you're a nontraditional trainer with some evolved Pokémon so early in your journey. This should be a fun battle," he said while cracking his knuckles.

Either Roxanne told him about me or he overheard me battling in the hallway. My heart skipped a beat since he wouldn't be using whatever he had for normal trainers with one badge.

"Never seen a field like this so I'm down for something new."

"That's the spirit!" Machoke, you're up!"

Cursing under my breath was my immediate reaction. My battle plan wasn't entirely useless although I needed to adjust accordingly.

"Swablu, let's get it done!"

I got a kick seeing my tiny ball of cotton looking up at her opponent. Despite having battling experience, she still acted reasonable against other Pokémon. This time she was really worked up and Machoke scoffed at her stomping her feet.

"Machoke versus Swablu. Battle!"

Unlike my pervious battles, I wanted to take my time. "Cotton Guard!" The feathers grew slightly bigger to provide extra padding.

"Vital Throw!"

"Rush in with Take Down!"

While Machoke was a Pokémon with a lot of physical strength, a major flaw on offense was that it relied on close quarters combat. Unfortunately, the speed from Take Down didn't help deliver a big hit because Swablu was too small. Machoke took it in stride before chucking her into a flat rock formation half the size of the battlefield over the moat.

"Jump over there and use Knock Off!" Brawly yelled with urgency.

I shouldn't have been surprised that Machoke was able to hop from rock to rock to hit Swablu again. Cotton Guard helped mitigate the damage, but she was moved closer to the edge.

"Use Sing!" The melody seemed to have no effect; too far away. "Fly closer and try again!"

Brawly flashed a grin. "Use Revenge on the ground then throw the rocks at it!"

The rapid punching broke up the area and most of the "rocks" were two to three times the size of my Pokémon. Swablu dodged each one thrown as it attempted too lull it to sleep. The two would up standing opposite each other like Brawly and I only inches from the edge. It continued to hurl rocks only to miss and Swablu couldn't put it to sleep. Then it hit me.

Not only was damage trying to be dealt, but the rocks added more noise when they fell into the water. The acoustics weren't good from the start although I held out a bit of hope. Just one more problem that had to be dealt with.

"Go for Seismic Toss!"

"Use Fly!" Swablu took off with more force than normal then flew behind Machoke. Her beak connected with Machoke's back and sent it flat on its face.

Waking up early to go to the mart paid off. My problem was that the league's HM policy was dumb once the cashier explained it. Devon had produced the discs for marts only; no trainer taking the Hoenn gym challenge could own a physical copy. The 15,000P price tag was essentially a one-time rental fee. A trainer could only use the disc on a Pokémon under supervision. Once I made Swablu forget Round for Fly, I had to give the HM back.

"Vital Throw! Grab that Swablu!"

"Circle back for round two!"

Machoke was surprisingly fast as it ran around the field to get underneath it. Brawly folded his arms and smiled when the fighting type jumped up to snag my flying type. She was thrown back onto the main field. The extra fluff from earlier took some sting out of the hard landing.

"Hop back then wrap it up with Revenge!"

"Fly into a Take Down!"

The extra power and speed was enough to push it next to Brawly and force a knockout. Swablu's entire body was shaking and her breathing was labored. I didn't think one round would do a number on her even if it was against a gym leader.

"Machoke is unable to battle. Swablu wins!" the referee yelled over the ocean waves while raising the flag.

The least I could do was get her back in the ball. "Swablu, return!"

I kicked the ground in frustration not for her, but for my lack of planning. There was also the idea of how easy the round or even the match could've been if I didn't go for Sing. Dumb decisions in a gym battle was a big ingredient in the recipe for failure.

"Little Pokémon packing a big punch. I like it!" Brawly exclaimed. "Too bad you won't see it from my end. My next partner is far from little. Go Hariyama!"

Well shit… that thing could easily knock out Linoone or Swablu. Sturdy protected Magneton from a one hit knockout although Arm Thrust was a good move to have on the fighting type. Aggron was legitimately my best choice because it could take hits despite the quadruple weakness; he had the size too.

"Aggron, showtime!"

His demeanor was a far cry from a spoiled brat. Embracing the challenge of an evolved Pokémon with a type advantage against him was something he probably wanted. I also felt better about cutting him loose. Brawly remained steadfast as the Pokémon sized each other up.

"Aggron versus Hariyama. Battle!"

I wanted to show off Aggron's power first. "Iron Tail!"

"Wait for it to get close," Brawly calmly ordered. Aggron rushed in and jumped while swinging its glowing tail. "Vital Throw!"

Brawly's fighting type used its massive hands to stop Aggron in his tracks. Not only that, it tossed my Pokémon back to my side of the field… all 800 pounds of him. Aggron became enraged at the fact he was outmuscled. Neither Pokémon had much in the way of ranged attacks, so I had to get him back in the game.

"Focus and use Iron Head!"

"Knock it back with Arm Thrust!"

Another round of raw power between Aggron and Hariyama finished with Aggron winning. The fighting type stood its ground throwing punches as mine kept digging forward. I held my breath until Hariyama got tired enough to stop attacking.

"Bulk Up!" Brawly yelled.

"Rock Slide!"

The field held steady as Aggron stomped to create a flurry of rocks. Bulk Up provided a temporary defense, but enough hits landed to do some damage. Aggron didn't wait for an order to rush in with another Iron Head.

"Vital Throw! Hold steady!"

Everyone was surprised that Aggron ducked both arms to land a massive hit. He kept driving ahead before Hariyama managed to grab both horns and slam him to the ground. Both Pokémon were close to the edge on Brawly's side of the field.

"Use Iron Tail! Be careful!" I ordered hoping Aggron would notice the edge.

"Go for Knock Off!"

Hariyama went for broke by jumping over the tail swipe. After landing, it slapped Aggron off the edge. I immediately reached for his Poké Ball to call him back, but I saw him dig into the side to stop himself from going into the ocean.

"You alright!?" I screamed with concern. It grunted then started to climb.

"Break up the edge with Arm Thrust!"

Little rocks flew down first which harmlessly bounced off Aggron's head. Then they started to get bigger and slow the progress. Climbing was starting to put a lot of strain on his body; he needed rest.

"Aggron, return!"

The down official on Tropius immediately threw up a flag. "The challenger has forfeited the round! Hariyama is the winner!"

"What!? That's fucking bullshit and you know it!" I yelled as loud as I could. Tropius flew on the field and the down official hopped off to give me an explanation.

"Sir, your Pokémon was clearly at a disadvantage and was not likely to make it back to the field."

I lost my mind. "Did you not see Aggron climbing up the side!?"

"True, but it was in no position to fight back nor did you attempt to put it in a position to fight back. Allowing Aggron to continue battling would not be fair to Brawly. Since it was out of bounds, I had jurisdiction. My call stands."

"What kind of reasoning is that!? How the hell did you become a referee if you can't see shit?"

He threw up both flags then crossed them over his head. "Unsportsmanlike conduct on the challenger! Another one will lead to a match disqualification!" The main referee wrote the verdict on an index card.

My face couldn't get redder if I tried. I had no choice but to shut up and continue battling without my heavy hitter. At least Aggron had done a considerable amount of damage before being taken out on a judgment call.

"Swablu, let's wrap it up!" Resting made her look a little better.

"Final round! Swablu versus Hariyama. Begin!" the main official yelled.

Mounting a defense early was the only hope I had to take a hit. "Cotton Guard!"

"Bulk Up!" Both Pokémon stood still puffing up whatever parts of their bodies they needed to. "Knock Off!"

I let the fighting type get close enough before taking a risk. "Sing!"

Swablu started singing just before she took the hit. Cotton Guard did its job and with Hariyama so close, other noise wasn't a factor. It was relieving to see it slowly fall asleep.

Brawly started to panic. "Ah! Now's not the time for a nap! Use Arm Thrust!" It was too late.

"Fly! Fly into it as much as you can!" I ordered hoping to get in a lot of hits before it woke up.

Dive bombing Hariyama surprisingly didn't wake it up. Each hit caused it to flinch or groan in its sleep. I was worried Swablu wasn't going to get the job done as she struggled to put more power behind her attacks. When Brawly's Pokémon woke up, it tried to stand up only to fall unconscious.

"Hariyama is unable to battle. Swablu wins! This match goes to the challenger!"

"Hell yeah! Swablu, get some rest!"

We all walked back to the outside of the gym where it would easier to talk. Uneasiness lingered in my mind since the down official was behind me the entire time. Luckily, he didn't say anything before leaving to fill out some paperwork. Brawly and I were eventually the only ones left.

"A little rough, but you earned that win. Here's the Knuckle Badge and a Bulk Up disc."

I took a deep breath. "Thanks. For the record, I wasn't mad at you personally."

"Emotions run high; it happens. You'll probably get hit with a 5,000P fine for the unsportsmanlike conduct."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Being rich or not, that was still money I was losing for voicing my displeasure.

"Respecting others in an official league battle is something the league doesn't take lightly. Also, don't feel too bad. You're not the first person to get one and even some gym leaders have gotten hit with it. Next time, try to tone it down." We shook hands and parted ways.

On the way back to the Pokémon Center, Swablu materialized on her own. Her breathing was heavy as if she was tried from trying to break out.

"How did you… what's going on?" A blinding light covered her before evolving into Altaria. "You've waited a long time for this, haven't you?" She let out a happy cry then rubbed her head against my leg while humming. My Pokédex started beeping.

 _Your Swablu has evolved into Altaria! Congratulations!_ A new line of text materialized shortly after.  _Altaria is trying to Dragon Breath. To get rid of a move, please select the one you wish to delete and point the Pokédex at Altaria._

Learning Dragon Breath would add some diversity to the team in type and it was a ranged attack. I opted to delete Take Down since Fly was the better choice. A beam of light came from the Pokédex and stayed on her as she stared into space. Honestly, it was creepy considering when Linoone and Magneton learned their moves, they decided what to forget. I also had to pay a trip to the Pokémon Center to figure out what had happened. Once the beam stopped, she successfully tried out the new attack.

After healing and checking in with Mister Briney, I made my way over to Dewford Hall. The idea of a lot of items washing up in Granite Cave was too interesting to ignore even if I might not find anything valuable.

The place had cork boards filled with popular items over the years. Phrases, locations, foods, and hold items were grouped in their own sections. A whiteboard with potential topics was at the other end for anyone to see. My heart sunk when I saw Pokémon Services near the top of the list. Four people were looking for the next big thing when one noticed me.

"Dewford Hall, your information exchange destination! What can I do for you?"

I quickly regathered myself. "Have any spelunking flyers?"

"Sure do! Last year's event was the talk of Hoenn for weeks." That may have been the case, but I was too busy working and sleeping to notice.

The event was officially two days long although spelunking was encouraged all year long. Lodging was a problem, so people were encouraged to camp on the beach or stay on a boat. It was one giant party even if someone didn't want to search for items. Hyping it up with flyers when it was months away wasn't ideal.

"Quiet for most of the year then you're hosting a huge party. Must be a crazy time," I casually mentioned.

"We're used to it." I couldn't stop myself from looking at the whiteboard. "Anything trending that you want to tell us about?"

"Pokémon Services shouldn't be trending," I blurted out. "I mean… they really don't do anything that special. A Pokémon Center can do what they could. Some people said how their Pokémon are worse after visiting them."

Slandering them was my only viable way to fight back. Who would believe that the owner tried to kill me? The worst part was that my slandering attempt wasn't even good; I witnessed genuinely good things with therapists who cared about their work.

"Have you seen the hospital area of a Pokémon Center? It's not that big and they don't always have the resources to provide one on one care for an extended period." They weren't buying it and I didn't have any other points to make without sounding like a lunatic. A woman soon came bursting through the door.

"Guys! Someone's coming over this afternoon to tell us more about Pokémon Services. They just put up a billboard in Rustboro. We can officially get them trending later today!"

The person talking to me cot swept up in the moment. "Who will they send!?"

"Her name is Jen! She sounded super nice and super excited to come talk to us!"

"Maybe this person should talk to her because he doesn't think they're that important. It's not often you can meet with a public relations employee in an intimate setting," the person said while pointing to me.

I immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Jen can do her own thing. I'm not sticking around for it."

"You have the chance to tell your side and you're really going to walk away?" I turned to the door with my head down. "Walking away, huh? That's what I thought."

Any chance to get ahead of them in the public eye was officially gone.


	17. Problems

It was only a matter of time before word about Pokémon Services would spread throughout Hoenn. Anything that came out of Dewford Hall always caught on although it didn't last forever. Putting up a billboards or other forms of advertising before the interview would ensure their name wouldn't fade. Ardos also needed Jen's help because she's from Littleroot Town and is a friendlier face than Seven or Jon.

Arguing with Jen in the hall wasn't going to work because she held all the cards. Ardos could've given her a script to follow for tougher questions or maybe she'd bring gifts to lighten the mood. There was a possibility that she'd find a way to corner me on the island before bringing me back to Mauville or kill me depending on what Ardos wanted.

The walk back to the Pokémon Center was a quiet one with most of the town on a lunch break or fishing on the shoreline. I couldn't stop staring at my second badge and thinking about how ridiculous it was that Aggron lost via technical knockout. Nurse Joy congratulated me on the win before placing everyone's ball in a healing machine. My Pokédex flashed got a notification as I walked out the door.

_League records indicate that you have been assessed a 5,000P fine for unsportsmanlike conduct during a gym battle. You have seven (7) days to pay the fine at any Pokémon Center, the location where the infraction occurred, or mail the fine to Ever Grande City. If you wish to appeal this fine, you must contact the league offices in Ever Grande City and set up an appointment to meet with someone there within 72 hours._

I assumed that paying the fine was easier than dragging my ass across the region for an appeal. There was no guarantee that I'd win; I had the money to pay the fine anyway. I wondered how many trainers would take the time to go through the appeal process before going back up to the counter.

"Can you tell the league office that I'm paying a fine here?" I sheepishly asked while handing over my Pokédex and a wad of cash.

"Yes. Hold on a minute and I'll take care of it." She typed away then called the office to confirm everything. "All set! Be careful in the future because two more could lead to something else."

"Like what?"

"Hoenn has a 'three strikes' rule where three unsportsmanlike conducts will result in you being suspended from gyms or contest halls for a certain amount of time. More information can be found in the official rulebook." I thanked her and then jogged to the docks.

Flying across the region was possible with Altaria, but I didn't want to put a lot of pressure on her right away. The least I could do was figure out how I should ride on her back so she would be comfortable. She also had no idea about the people that were after me and how she would have to fly as fast as she could at the drop of a hat. Mister Briney had to get back despite enjoying his time away from home while I took care of business.

Riding back to route 104 below deck was the better way to go. I desperately needed a nap after waking up two hours before my gym battle and Jen wasn't going to see me. The last thing I wanted was a battle on the captain's boat. Nothing in my party could really handle the ocean as a field. Catching a Tentacool would help, but I wanted to get back to the mainland first.

It was smooth sailing literally and figuratively since I was asleep for most of it. There wasn't some vision or nightmare to disturb me and I was grateful for that. I was also grateful that it didn't happen last night. The idea that I had to worry about them was a problem. Mister Briney invited me into his cottage for a quick meal with everyone.

"Where are you going next, lad?"

"Petalburg City. Might as well get another badge since it's close by. Getting two badges in one day would be nice."

His face turned serious. "How many do you have?"

I thought Roxanne was joking about Norman's attitude. "Two. Let me guess… he's not fond of new trainers, is he? Why did he take the job knowing that he'll get a fair amount of them?"

"He doesn't talk a lot but when he does, he means every word. Pulling punches isn't his thing either; hope you have thick skin. His normal types can cause a lot of problems since not a lot of new trainers have fighting types."

Norman couldn't be any worse than any of my teachers back in school. "I think I'll be fine."

"Regardless of what happens, good luck on your journey."

The short walk from the cottage to the Pokémon Center was uneventful. Zigzagoon and Wurmple were the only Pokémon I saw running around with an occasional Wingull flying overhead. Even though Wingull could handle battling in a water environment, I didn't want to have two flying types. It was already bad enough that I had two steel types even though they had their niche uses.

"Welcome to the Petalburg Pokémon Center! How may I help you?" Nurse Joy kindly asked.

"Does Norman have an open time slot to battle today? I know it's the middle of the afternoon, but I'm ready to go."

She pointed to the door. "You'll have to sign up at the gym."

I walked out with a blank expression then found my way to the gym. The front desk attendants were bored out of their minds with nobody in the waiting area and a stack of paperwork beside them.

"Can I challenge Norman today?"

One of them mindlessly handed me a form. "Fill this out and we'll get you in as soon as possible."

Norman's questionnaire was slightly different with a section dedicated to what I hoped to achieve by battling him. Was it thoughtful? Yes. Was it necessary? No. People battled gym leaders to get badges. Maybe that gave trainers some extra motivation or maybe it pissed them off and he'd take advantage. I could see how a younger trainer could feel under minded.

"Done. So am I good to go or not?"

They looked it over then back to me. "Paperwork's good. Norman will read it before the battle and we're obligated to ask if you want to go through with this."

I couldn't help but given them a confused look. "Of course! That's the reason I'm here!" One of them picked up the phone and made the call.

A tall man wearing track pants, an undershirt, a maroon jacket, and track pants of all things. He had a pair of sandals in one hand and a towel in another. It was weird seeing a gym leader in their early to mid-thirties seeing as Roxanne and Brawly were relatively young while Wattson was the oldest by a mile.

"My challenger I assume?" he sternly asked while receiving the paperwork.

"Ryan's my name. Where are we going to be battling?" He ignored my question long enough to examine everything.

"Gym assistants are behind the door ready to test you, but I will allow you to face me immediately. Excuse me while I prepare my team and do my part of the paperwork." I sat around as he used the computer to order Poké Balls for delivery. "Follow me."

We went through the first door only to go into a room with other doors. An assistant was meditating and was ordered to the back of the gym. Some backtracking was required to make sure everyone was accounted for. The back of the gym was a large room with high ceilings and a dirt field with the proper markings. His assistants had cushions to sit on and watch. Our referee came in through the back entrance with two of Norman's choices.

"Alright gentlemen, this is an official battle for the Balance Badge. The gym leader will use only three Pokémon and will not be allowed to substitute. Challenger, you will be allowed to use up to six Pokémon with the ability to substitute. How many do you want to declare eligible for this battle?"

Was it a mind trick? Have trainers really gone three on three to test their skills or have they used three Pokémon as a sign of good faith? I couldn't believe that Norman was giving me an advantage and the league was okay with it.

"Four Pokémon will take the field. They're all I have."

Norman folded his arms in disgust. "You're not using six Pokémon? That's a mistake no matter what you want to believe." Roxanne and Mister Briney weren't kidding about the attitude.

"I only have four. Look, can we just get started?"

"As you wish. Go Vigoroth!" The Wild Monkey Pokémon jumped in place then stretched its arms. "This one has been with me longer than my other Vigoroth so keep that in mind."

He was starting to get under my skin. It was like looking in a mirror; this man was a more adult version of me. We could dish out some verbal abuse and take it in stride. The possibility of one of us getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the battle was through the roof.

"That's not a problem for Linoone!" My partner growled to make Vigoroth uncomfortable; it didn't work.

The flags went up. "Linoone versus Vigoroth. Begin!"

Sand Attack would be a good start but going conservative against Brawly almost lost me a round. I had to attack Norman head-on to win.

"Slash!"

"Vigoroth, counter with your own Slash!

Both normal types went at it with a heightened sense of urgency. Claws only connected with claws and neither one could land a hit. Despite Linoone as a species being naturally faster, Vigoroth was better conditioned. It got in the first hit.

"Follow up with Feint Attack!"

"Keep it away with Pin Missile!" Linoone fired off two separate rounds which were easily dodged. Vigoroth taunted my partner to rush it and then backhanded it to the side. I needed to go back to my old strategy. "Sand Attack!"

Norman shook his head. "Jump and then use Façade!"

A small amount of sand found its target, but it wasn't enough to stop Norman's Pokémon. Linoone couldn't get in a position to defend itself because it tried to kick sand high into the air. He took the hit in the middle of his back and plopped on the ground. It was a critical blow because he never saw it coming.

"Linoone is unable to battle. Vigoroth wins!" His assistants clapped for a job well done.

I was too shocked to say anything. The last time I was outclassed in a battle was against Seven. What made it worse was that Vigoroth barely got scratched. I needed to take advantage of the little bit of sand in its eyes.

"Magneton, I choose you!" It appeared to be neutral about the situation.

"A steel type? I'm surprised you didn't lead with it," Norman bluntly stated. "You probably had your reasons."

Having Linoone out first was meant to be a litmus test for the other Pokémon's strength. If he didn't suffer a critical hit, I probably would've recalled him. The tournament mindset was still in my head where revealing other Pokémon wasn't an ideal thing to do unless it was absolutely necessary. Maybe it was the mental fatigue from the second gym battle of the day.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I shot back.

Our referee let out a quiet sigh. "Magneton versus Vigoroth. Go!"

I decided to revert to my typical strategy of annoying the opponent. "Metal Sound!" An abnormal sound filled the room that affected the normal type more than the humans.

"Encore!" Vigoroth happily danced and clapped to encourage another Metal Sound despite the annoying noise. Norman knew it didn't take any physical damage. "Feint Attack!"

A quick strike sent my Pokémon hovering across the field. The temptation to wait for Encore's effect to end was there, but I didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

"Return! Altaria, get out here!" Some of the assistants gasped.

My hope for easier gym battles in the immediate future essentially vanished with my choice. Raising a Swablu to evolve was a tedious process, but nobody knew the one I was given was close to evolving. Revealing Aggron would put a huge target on my back for future gym leaders.

"Those two badges must've taken many tries to earn," he mocked. I shrugged it off.

"Altaria versus Vigoroth. Begin!"

I could take advantage of Magneton's work. "Dragon Breath!"

She took to the air and fired a green stream of fire. It engulfed Vigoroth and its movements became more rigid. I scowled at the fact that it didn't end the round.

"Hope the heavy hit and paralysis were worth it! Façade!"

Vigoroth regained its composure before jumping. The only problem was that the attack didn't even come close to hitting Altaria. Wiping its eyes was the immediate response after landing.

"Take advantage with Dragon Breath!"

"Zig zag around the field then use Façade!"

Norman's plan worked for two quick bursts then fell apart when paralysis took effect. Altaria scored a direct hit that resulted in a knockout. I felt great getting out of a threatening situation nearly unscathed.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle. Altaria wins!"

"You have a slight edge now, but that'll change. Slaking, time for battle!"

"Not this powerhouse again," I moaned remembering what Seven's Slaking did to Aggron.

Norman softened up a little. "At least you're aware of what it can do." The referee let our Pokémon get set.

"Altaria versus Slaking. Go!"

If I had any chance to outlast it, I needed a super boost. "Cotton Guard!"

"Use Retaliate!"

To my dismay, Slaking was faster than I thought. It sprinted across the field before Altaria's wings could provide extra protection. One punch to the stomach sent her flying past me into the concrete gym wall. She somehow managed to stand but fell flat on her face a second later.

"Altaria is unable to battle. Slaking wins!"

Norman's Slaking wasn't nearly as strong as Seven's, but it still managed to deliver a one hit knockout. Had Cotton Guard activated quicker, there was a good chance Altaria would've tanked the hit. Then again, the indent in the wall might've been from a fatal blow and the boost wouldn't have helped.

"Good effort on your part. Is your Pokémon okay?" Norman asked sternly but with genuine concern. Forget being a reflection of me, he was like my dad. He walked the fine line of tough love well.

"She'll be fine," I replied once I saw her walking to me. "Good job, girl. Just caught a bad break this time. Get some rest."

Truant would leave Slaking defenseless for at least one attack and I desperately needed a heavy hit on it. I didn't have much of a choice to get back into the fight. As I went to make my next selection, my PokéNav started ringing. Norman waved his hand in frustration but allowed me to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Ryan, I need to talk to you now!" It was Maddie.

"I'm in the middle of a gym battle. Can it wait for a few minutes?"

"Oh… okay. Call me when you're done."

I quickly hung up and pretended the conversation never happened. "Here we go Aggron!"

Norman looked beyond upset at my last Pokémon choice. It was the textbook look of a person who was hustled and realized it; some of his assistants looked away out of fear or embarrassment. Aggron was too focused to have an attitude.

"You're one of  _those_  trainers I see. Technically you did nothing wrong, but the league needs to address people like you."

I couldn't sit back and take that. "So sorry that I don't fit the mold of what a trainer should be!" I replied with a fake smile.

Our referee gave a hand motion telling us to tone it down before throwing the flags up. "Aggron versus Slaking!"

Truant was already working. "We have a free shot so use Double-Edge!"

He charged ahead with no fear and landed a shot in the chest. The normal type slid across the ground before rolling over in pain. We didn't have to fear Hammer Arm because Norman's Slaking wasn't _that_ strong.

"We're prepared for steel types! Use Swagger!" Norman confidently ordered.

Slaking stood up to pound its chest which riled Aggron up. It then pointed to the wall before communicating something to Aggron. He took the bait and his frustration reached a boiling point. His eyes anxiously scanned the field.

"Pull yourself together and use Iron Head!" My order was ignored and he charged into the wall behind Norman. "Dammit Aggron, Iron Head!"

A defenseless Slaking stood there as my Pokémon was too enraged to hit it. All its energy was spent trying to tear the wall apart to show off its strength. Norman's Pokémon pointed to the field then laughed. Aggron started throwing himself on the ground.

"How do you control that thing when it's not confused? Slaking, Feint Attack!"

Aggron took the hit but was still confused and thrashing about. With no signs of the battle improving, I reluctantly took out his ball. Slaking's breathing was labored and Truant was going to kick in.

"Return! Magneton, come back out!" The official gave the signal and I went straight for the win. "Flash Cannon!" No surprise that it went down in a heap.

"Slaking is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

One Pokémon stood between me and my third badge. I crossed my fingers hoping his last one wasn't stronger than a Slaking. Why use your potentially strongest teammate anywhere besides at the end?

Norman let out a long sigh. "Have you travelled outside Hoenn?"

"Outside Hoenn? I rarely travelled outside of Mauville. Too busy saving up money to go on a journey."

He slowly nodded. "Fair enough. I used to live in Johto but would visit Kanto every so often. What I caught over there isn't native to Hoenn and others have had a tough time with it despite it not being my strongest Pokémon. Let's see how well you handle it. Go Kangaskhan!" I somewhat remembered it while taking notes, but I had a Pokédex with me.

" _Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokémon. It will protect the baby in its pouch with its life. As a result, this Pokémon is willing to fight until its last breath no matter how injured it is."_

I didn't know what to think of it. Did it look physically intimidating? Yes. Did it look stronger than Slaking? Not to me. Attacks from it would still hurt and I doubt it's ability was Truant with a fierce parenting instinct. Describing it as a "poor man's Slaking" was reasonable.

"Magneton versus Kangaskhan. Begin!"

"Retaliate!"

Not again. "Tri Attack!"

Kangaskhan rushed forward with its arms crossed to limit the damage of Magneton's attack. It took the hit, jumped up, slammed my Pokémon to the ground, then hopped back to its side of the field. The steel typing prevented it from being worse than last time.

"Spark!" For the second time, it disobeyed me and used Flash Cannon instead. Kangaskhan dodged by going on its stomach. "Come on Magneton! Spark!" It reluctantly rushed in.

"Brick Break!" A small amount of electricity shocked the normal type, but it wasn't enough to stop the attack. "Now wrap it up with Façade!" It delivered the knockout in seemingly effortless fashion.

"Magneton is unable to battle. Kangaskhan wins!"

There was an uneasy tension in the room once I recalled Magneton. Everyone knew I had an Aggron that wasn't confused anymore or at full strength going against something with Brick Break. Regardless of the outcome, I was going to get some type of lecture for how I handled the battle.

"Aggron, it's all or nothing!"

He was as locked in as could be. I had learned in school about how Pokémon can see outside of their Poké Balls so maybe he understood what was at stake. Listening through the ball was a different story. Did he hear all the trash talking being directed at us and want to shut Norman up? Or was it simply primal instinct to defeat whatever was in front of him?

"You're going to end up with nothing," Norman bluntly retorted.

"Final round! Aggron versus Kangaskhan! Go!"

The least I could do was keep my distance at the cost of some power. "Rock Slide!" One stomp sent a wave of rocks high in the air over to the other side.

"Defend yourself with Brick Break!" Kangaskhan managed to break four or five larger rocks before being pelted with smaller ones. "Now rush in with it!"

There was no way Aggron was going to be fast enough to dodge. My hope for hitting Norman's Pokémon first was my only chance.

"Iron Tail!"

Aggron pounded the ground with his tail to gain momentum as it glowed. He waited until the right moment to pivot and swing the tail; he swung it upward for a shot to the face. Kangaskhan ducked down and to the side before delivering a shot to Aggron's chest.

The impact sent him staggering back until he went down on one knee. He tried to get up only to fall on his side. No amount of grunting or willpower was going to get him back on his feet. Although he was conscious, he couldn't attack or defend. The referee was reluctant to call the round so I beat him to the punch.

"Forfeiting the round, ref! Aggron, return," I sighed.

The flag went up for the final time. "Aggron is unable to battle. Kangaskhan wins! The match goes to Norman!"

I manned up and shook hands at midfield. Once everything was taken care of, Norman had his assistants leave. Paperwork from earlier was shown to me while we sat down.

"You were asked about what you wanted to achieve by battling me. I see you mentioned getting stronger. Care to elaborate? I get that a lot." Yup, definitely sounded like my dad.

"Well… I'm not a fan of having to rely on others to bail me out of tough situations. I want to be able to protect myself and anyone I care about whenever I need to. My parents could only do so much when I was growing up and I'm the oldest of three kids," I quietly replied.

"Sometimes you need a little bit of help. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Going into detail about Latias wasn't a good idea. "Someone is in a worse spot because of me and I'm trying to find a way to make things right."

He hesitated to ask me what that meant but decided against it because he didn't want to get wrapped up in my personal life. We shifted the conversation to the battle and Norman explained why he acted like he did. Apparently, he had a complex relationship with the league and both parties drew up special guidelines.

The assistants were meant for trainers with four or more badges for challengers to prove that they earned them. Anyone under that threshold would face him immediately. He wanted to make newer trainers of all skill levels aware that he wasn't going to go easy on them and using non-native Pokémon was a rough curveball. There were a few times that he lost to newbies although that didn't change his outlook. Anyone that beat him would receive two TM discs.

"Ryan, how many badges will you have before our rematch?"

Every mistake from the battle replayed in my head while I tried to come up with an answer. "As many as I feel comfortable having."

Norman didn't know what to make of my answer. "You and your Pokémon should have more experience for next time. I look forward to it."

Petalburg was bustling as dinnertime rolled around. I made a quick stop to heal my Pokémon then did my best to find a place to call Maddie back. She picked up after one ring.

"Hey! How'd the gym battle go?"

"I lost."

"Did you lose because of me?" she softly asked.

At least she was apologetic. "I shot myself in the foot before that. So, what's going on?"

Paper crinkled in the background. "We've been busy lately. One billboard is up in Rustboro and there's an article from Dewford Hall online about how great the business is."

"What!? I was there this morning. Are people believing the hype?"

"Not sure; I only skimmed through. You can judge for yourself when you get the chance."

I rubbed my forehead in frustration. "Guess I'll look. Anything in the building I need to know about?"

Maddie waited then let out a sigh. "The therapist I work with quit after an argument with management which makes the second one this week. Now there's a little more tension in the air. Cecil is still the same which is good, I guess. We haven't had any client complaints since you left either. I also haven't seen anything worth going to the police for. How about you?"

"The only thing I can do right now is travel around Hoenn and get stronger." I took a deep breath. "Look, this isn't going to be solved anytime soon. If you ever feel uncomfortable about talking to me because of what's going on at work, stop. I'll find a way to deal with them eventually."

She took a while to respond. " _We'll_ find a way to deal with them." The phone clicked on her end.

There had to be more going on that what she told me because she was unsure about everything last time. I couldn't complain seeing as I kept Latias out of my stories. At some point, I had to tell everything to at least one person. My problem was that I couldn't afford to pick the wrong person.

With the sun setting on another day, I went back to the beach on route 104. It was empty except for Mister Briney's cottage near the edge of Petalburg Woods. After what my team had gone through, the least I could do was let them enjoy some peace and quiet with dinner.

"Good job today. Eat up!"

Linoone glared at me then kicked a pile of sand at my chest. Aggron took it a step further by scooping a fistful over me then ate his food away from everyone else. Complaining wasn't even on my mind; I deserved it. Magneton remained emotionless as I gave it a power bank and Altaria was unsure how to react until I encouraged her to eat.

Facing the next gym leader was a make-or-break situation. A loss could be the proverbial nail in the coffin for my relationship with my team or a win would put us on a better path. Lavaridge Town was the closest place with a badge aside from Mauville. I scrolled through my PokéNav to plan a route when it started ringing.

"Um, hello?"

"Hey Ryan, it's dad! I heard you called yesterday!"

Mom must've told him. "Yup. What's going on?"

"Just checking in. Are you still in Dewford Town?"

"Not anymore. I won a badge there then went to Petalburg for another one only to lose. Hanging out on route 104 enjoying the sunset for now."

"Sounds like you've been busy." He took a short pause before continuing. "How did your mother sound?"

Didn't like the question, but I was curious. "Fine? I mean… she was happy to hear from me. She didn't mention the 30,000P I left you guys though."

Dad took a deep breath. "I think she was in a bit of shock from the past few days. Between you leaving, her not getting the assistant manager position, and the pile of money, she had to take a few days off. You calmed her down a bit when you called."

"Rydel didn't promote her? Oh no…"

"It was a close call. She needed to be in the top two but was number three."

I would've hated to be home when she found all of that out. That's always been the story in the family; good effort and skill but not quite enough to get over the hump. Sadie was probably the closest one in the family to being ahead of her colleagues even though meteorology was a tough field.

"What about something else for later?"

"When another opportunity comes along, she'll be more likely to get it." Another pause. "Thank you for the money. You didn't have to give us a large chunk of your salary."

If only I had the guts to tell them that it was a drop in the bucket. "It's your money now. Do whatever you want with it."

"Okay! Anything else for us?"

I wasn't sure whether to go into some detail about my former employer or not. They didn't pose a threat to my parents and dad would've told me if something happened to the family Pokémon. Biting my tongue about Pokémon Services would be better until I knew what was really going on.

"Just planning my route to Lavaridge Town. I didn't mention this yesterday because it hadn't happened, but I have a Pokémon I can fly on now. Better late than never."

"That's great! Please be careful with it. A crash landing isn't something you want to be a part of." I remembered the incident with Skarmory and cringed. "Well, have a good time! Remember, we all love you very much and are rooting for you. Give us a call anytime day or night for anything. Okay?"

"Alrighty, I'll call you guys later. Bye!"

"Bye Ryan!"

I stared at the beautiful sunset while my Pokémon enjoyed themselves on the empty beach. Winning gym battles just wasn't like winning at Lostelle's because the three leaders I faced kept cool under pressure. Using their ego against them or relying on them to make mistakes wouldn't work. Adapting on the fly was only going to get me so far; that shit wasn't going to fly in Ever Grande City. I needed to round out my team with two more members to figure out who could do what.

Trying to keep my team from fighting me or each other was arguably harder than getting badges. Did getting knocked out mean I was a bad trainer for letting it happen to them? Were they so used to winning that they didn't know how to handle defeat or that there were simply better trainers around the world? At what point would they all trust me?

Everyone continued until the sun went down and were reluctant to be called back. Altaria was left out so I could start flying north. She didn't seem to have a problem with the idea of carrying me in the dark. As I approached her, I froze.

"Come on Ryan, your first time flying on Skarmory was fine. Nobody's going attack like the time you were on Latias either," I whispered out loud to myself.

I found a comfortable position that didn't hurt Altaria as she took off into the night. The calm sky wasn't enough to take my mind off the last time I flew. We made it just south of Rustboro City before I started hyperventilating.

"Let me down! Altaria, we have to land," I nervously said louder than I wanted. She slowly descended into an open field near a pond.

Setting up the tent was a pain in the ass, but I managed to do it by having Altaria hold the flashlight in tough spots. There was a look of concern on her face when I finished. Petting her was how I convinced her to calm down long enough to let the red beam suck her back into the ball.

I eventually cried myself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One stylistic note: Norman as a character. Truth be told, he's got more depth than your average gym leader and I wanted to show him off a little more. Out of the manga, anime, and games, I decided to take the manga route with the attitude and tweak/mix his in-game teams. Kangaskhan is from a rematch battle in Emerald with modified moves, Vigoroth is from R/S because it had a better move set than its ORAS counterpart, and Slaking is straight from ORAS. There's a possibility I'll be mixing up some gym leader teams down the line, but nothing too drastic.


	18. Heating Up

Sleeping through the night was surprisingly easy after the last tear fell. My mind went into a black void and stayed there until the middle of the afternoon as my tent was being rustled. A Taillow perched itself on top of my tent then called its friends to explore the campsite. They didn't appear to be threatening even as I cleaned up. I was glad I held it together long enough to fly over Petalburg Woods and avoid more hostile Pokémon.

I walked into Rustboro's mart to restock on some items for the trip to Lavaridge Town. The journey would've taken around two weeks by foot, but Altaria was doing me a huge favor. Having no timetable to get there was also a plus because we could fly at our own pace. Unfortunately, flying at night was something I wasn't ready for.

The Pokémon Center was my last stop for a quick team heal and a chance to read the online article that Maddie mentioned. It was a typical business piece about what Pokémon Services did with some data to pack up their claims. An excerpt of the interview was near the end and it was aimed at the naysayers.

_We understand that not every Pokémon Center has the resources to deal with multiple severely injured Pokémon at once. That's where we come in. Are we saying that we are better than them? Not at all. We always offer a free consultation to assess what needs to be done before moving forward. If at least one person out there doesn't like what we do, so be it. People are free to believe what they want while we continue to do what we do best._

Jen didn't mention me by name or hint at any problems in the rest of the piece. Although, I knew the last bit was aimed at me. The rest of the piece sounded like a standard public relations script. Looking at the comments praising them gave me a headache; the ones criticizing them were met with angry replies or long paragraphs about why the business was a good thing. I shook my head all the way back to the northeast edge of the city.

"Okay… time to try this again. Come out Altaria!" She materialized looking sad. I put on a smile but that made her want to hug me. "It's okay, girl. I'm not mad at you for yesterday. I'm not mad at anybody. Now, are you ready to fly?" We took some time to get comfortable before taking off.

Altaria was very understanding for the first few minutes off the ground. Finding an altitude and speed that was comfortable for me made for a smoother ride. She kept her focus while I did my best to enjoy the view below. We were fine until the sun had nearly set; the wind had gotten more intense and my clothing wasn't keeping me warm.

I gave her a few pats on the back. "Time to land, Altaria!" I yelled over the wind. She slowly descended onto an empty dirt path. "Thanks for that. You probably could fly all night, but it was getting too cold. Here, have some food before you go back. I can walk by myself for a bit."

My PokéNav indicated we landed on route 111 between the desert and Mauville. Going north would put me back in the desert although turning west would put me on route 112. Fiery path was a common trap for those trying to get to Lavaridge Town; it'd spit people out the other end near Fallarbor Town. Riding the cable car to the top of Mount Chimney then climbing down or flying over steep ledges were my only two options.

Walking the trail on route 111 was a little creepy even with a strong flashlight. There were a few campsites set up on the edge of route 112 after about a half hour creating a sense of security. I scouted for a spot by a large formation and did my best to pitch the tent. Repels were sprayed in a circle for protection and I had some time to myself.

Arriving into town before sunset was my original goal, but I was too scared to pick up the pace. Altaria could've flown all day long if I sucked it up. Without a Pokémon to cross water on, I had to be comfortable in the air at all times otherwise I would be stuck walking and relying on ferries. There was plenty of time to win eight badges and apply for the league. Quickly flying away from bad situations was something I needed to work on for later.

"Wonder if there's anything to do at Lavaridge Town besides snagging a badge." I did my best to crank the flashlight for a longer period of light. "Flannery does a… meditation class? With light yoga? How does that work? Only one way to find out," I mumbled out loud. Falling asleep didn't take long once I turned the flashlight off.

I woke up earlier than yesterday feeling more refreshed and upbeat. Fog covered the top third of the mountain although gray clouds were a good indication that there was a chance of rain. Other trainers from nearby camps followed each other to the cable car gate. I debated about flying but decided that I wouldn't mind the scenic route.

"How many do we have here? Six? Okay! Well, we can fit four comfortably. Five might be manageable, but six would mean you'd all be squished."

"Everyone else can go. I'm not in a rush," I casually said. "Just curious, what's the wait time?"

A small look of relief came over the trainer's faces. "As a local, it's about a half hour wait for the next car."

More time to enjoy the view. "Sounds good to me."

I stayed near the foot of the mountain to see what was in the tall grass. A horde of Machop were climbing rocks while some Numel slowly walked around. The idea of having a fire type Numel popped into my head seeing as I needed more type diversity. Burning physical attackers, especially fighting types, would do wonders for my team. Its typing still bothered me on the defensive side.

Quadruple weakness to water wasn't a good look in a region known for water types. Aggron, Magneton, and Altaria had quad weaknesses; I didn't want to end up in a situation where one Pokémon with a diverse move set could sweep me. Having used its evolved form in previous battles at Lostelle's plus the dynamic of my current team… it didn't feel like the right fit.

The cable car came back empty and I paid a smaller fee to ride to the top of Mount Chimney. I constantly ran around the interior placing my face against the glass like a little kid. The view was gorgeous despite the lack of sunshine. Every angle in every direction had something going on, including having a flock of Wingull roosting on the railing. Anyone else may not have cared, but I was loving every second of the ride. I audibly moaned in frustration when I saw the station at the top.

"Going into town?" the attendant asked when I got off.

"Yeah. Looking to win a badge from Flannery. Also want to do some sightseeing because I've never been around here."

"Ah, I see! Be careful when you go down Jagged Pass. The ledges are close together and space is tight."

It was a miracle that there was  _any_ path to Lavaridge when I made it to the entrance. Using Altaria was dangerous because the mountain jutted out at some points and the occasional sharp rocks were off to the side. All I needed to do was I take it slow on the steep path and stay alert.

No Pokémon was willing to go out of their way to meet me which made going down easier. An occasional Spoink playfully bounced between ledges; they were probably the happiest wild Pokémon I had ever seen. About halfway down, I saw a guy sitting down with their hands on their head.

"Hey! You good?"

That person was a younger trainer from earlier. "I think I need some help! Kinda injured!"

"Hold on!" I carefully slid down my side before finding a thinner rocky area dividing the path. "Aggron, I need you! Down there, I need you to back up if you can!"

Aggron let out a big yawn before looking around. He showed obvious signs of being lethargic; probably woke him from a nap.

"This isn't a battle; I need you to break a hole so I can get to an injured person." He thought about not doing anything until he heard a screech on the other side.

"Dammit! This hurts like a bitch!" I saw a shoe go flying off the cliffside.

I stared Aggron down. "Iron Tail should be good enough before you go back." One swipe created a place for me to climb through.

"Oh good! I thought nobody else was coming since everyone else already made it down. My ankle's pretty messed up," he playfully said trying to play off the injury.

The ankle didn't look like an ankle anymore. Between the dirt, blood, discoloration, and the rest of the foot below it being cold to the touch, there was no way he was going to stand on it anytime soon. I dug into my backpack for Ellis' guide he gave me.

"You don't know basic first aid!?" he panted.

"Does this look like something basic to you? Give me a second. Ankle… ankle… ankle!"

Unfortunately, the R.I.C.E method that was mentioned couldn't be utilized. Rest would have to come later, ice wasn't avaible, compression could be done although I thought the ankle was in too bad a shape to be touched, and elevation was the only reasonable one. He was also doing his best not to hyperventilate or go into shock.

"Part of what I'm going to do will be painful, but you'll have to be carried out here. I have an Altaria that you can ride on."

"Works for me. My Pokemon isn't one that could support my body weight."

I set up as much as I could before attempting to move the trainer. Standing him up took a lot of effort but it paled in comparison to getting him on Altaria. I swore I was going deaf with all the screaming. With him flat on his back and a towel used to elevate his ankle, there wasn't enough room for me.

"What's going to happen is Altaria will carefully fly you down the rest of the way while I climb down. Once we're at the bottom, it should be a smooth ride into Lavaridge Town." I stood in front of Altaria and kneeled to her eye level. "Keep going straight and don't get distracted."

She carefully flew down the pass and followed my orders. I kept my pace climbing down although the occasional Numel cut in front of me. As I got closer to the bottom, the Pokémon became more hostile. It was easier to maneuver and I assumed that enough people had come through to where they felt threatened. Linoone's snarling kept most of them at bay except for a few Machop; one Pin Missile attack from him sent a message.

My patient became a nervous wreck knowing we were almost home free. He thought Altaria was meant to take him away and he kept asking for his other shoe. A few sips of water thankfully calmed him down; I wanted to knock him out so he'd keep his sanity. Seeing the red roof in the middle of town was a welcome sight. Anyone who saw us on the way sprinted to the Pokémon Center.

"Can I get some help please!? I've got an injured person here!" I screamed as soon as I opened the door. Five people were standing around the front desk.

Nurse Joy ran from the crowd to see the damage. "Oh my! I'll get a stretcher and bring him to the back. We need x-rays done before figuring out what to do. Just wait here and I'll talk to you." She wheeled him back and I could hear a pin drop in the lobby. Everyone stared at the double doors; I rubbed Altaria's head.

"Good job! Such a good girl!" I pet Linoone next even though he didn't look like he wanted it. "Way to show the wild Pokémon who's boss!" He blushed while turning his head away. I went to call out Aggron until an older man walked up to me.

"Son, what happened out there?"

His tone made it sound like I did something wrong. "That person apparently fell and hurt his ankle. I found him then brought him here."

"And what if someone was looking for him? Now they're probably wondering what happened." Some people left the center while others tried to get the man off my case. "You're supposed to stay put until help arrives!"

"Help? I was his help!"

"Bullshit! Everyone knows that the cable car guides are trained for situations like that. One SOS signal is enough to get their attention."

I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. "Not an expert outdoorsman by any stretch, but why would I make him wait for help even longer when I had the tools to help him in the moment!? Fucking moron, I swear." The man left without a word as everyone who beat me to the center left with him.

Anyone who was in the place before the chaos didn't acknowledge me along with new people coming in. Nurse Joy returned and calmly explained what she heard on her end; I was given the chance to tell my side from the rescue and how the older man berated me. She ultimately understood my reasoning for my actions.

"You have a field guide, right?" I nodded. "I know you were acting in the moment, but there should be a section on how to send various SOS signals depending on your situation. All that matters now is that everyone is safe now." Altaria hummed while rubbing her head against my leg.

"Guess you're right. Hey, what's the deal with Flannery's class? I was thinking about taking one before battling her."

She guided me to the counter. "Flannery does it four times a week in the afternoon with 90-minute sessions. You're allowed to have one Pokémon out if you want. As for a battle, I can schedule you for one tomorrow around noon. There is one trainer before you which means you might have to wait."

"Not a problem. Is today a class day?"

"Yes! Go to the gym around 3:30 and the receptionist will guide you."

I went for the trifecta. "Is there a chance I can have a room for the night?"

She typed away at the keyboard. "Last one is yours! It's an end room so it's not as spacious."

"Thank you!"

"No problem! Lavaridge is known for its hot springs so you should stop on by. There's a public area or you can pay for a private section. Have a good stay!"

The town itself was mostly quiet with most people already at work. Nothing caught my eye at the mart aside from food; running out would move me from thin ice to under the ice with my team. Not even Altaria could forgive me for that. I went to the west end of town to sit down and bask in the view of Mount Chimney. With nobody around, I called out Aggron.

"Things have been rough lately, but I'm proud of you for breaking that rock." He rolled his eyes. "We've got a gym battle tomorrow against a different leader. She uses fire types and you have Rock Slide. You're my go-to Pokémon." A soft grunt was his response.

Explaining why I left him at home over a week ago was the obvious turning point in our relationship. Winning tournament battles at the casino was something he had grown accustomed to. An occasional loss there didn't bother him at all. I just wanted to know how bad things really were between us or at the very least, what his thought process was. Heck, I wanted to know what prevented him from putting me six feet under.

"Hard work always pays off. It may take some time, but we'll all have a chance to show how strong we are."

I took a risk and rubbed the pure steel plates on his back wondering if he'd feel the same way Linoone or Altaria would. Aggron slowly grabbed my hand and moved it to the side where the "softer" part of his body was. Petting or cuddling wasn't the norm when it came to steel types as far as I remembered from school although he appreciated my attempt.

"Everything starts with me, Aggron. I've got to do a better job of reading situations so you guys don't end up in a bad one." He sternly nodded in agreement. "With that out of the way, let's eat some lunch."

Saving another man wasn't the team bonding experience I had in mind, but it paid off. Everyone was eating together and chatting with no signs of hostility. Linoone finished first before climbing in my lap to sleep; he hadn't done that in months. It pained me to call them back, but it was getting close to Flannery's class.

A dozen people from kids to the elderly were milling around the gym lobby when I arrived. The receptionist eventually made an announcement when everything was all ready on Flannery's end. We followed signs on the wall to a well heated studio sized room in the back of the gym.

"Hi everyone! For you new faces in the group, I'm Flannery. Take a yoga mat from the closet, get some water if you need it, set up your space, and choose a Pokémon if you'd like." My instinct of finding a spot closest to the middle of the room from school kicked in.

Compared to the other Pokémon that were sent out, Linoone was a sore thumb. Numel, Spoink, or Machop were the only ones there; everyone was local. Flannery threw on some calming nature music and we were off.

The yoga portion was for beginners although she gave other positions for those who wanted a challenge. Despite that, I was a klutz. Gym class or running through the streets hardly compared to going slow and holding positions. Poor Linoone stumbled worse than I did whenever he tried to copy me. Getting to the meditation part was a relief.

"What I want everyone to do is recall their Pokémon and close their eyes." She turned the lights off and closed the blinds. "Take a few deep breaths. Relax your mind and body," she quietly said. With my sight gone and my mind in a void, I enjoyed a moment of peace. Then I felt like I got hit with an emotional brick.

Janitorial shift memories faded into some highlights working under Wattson. All the internal pride faded when I remembered trying to beat up Shawn. The frustration amplified when I saw myself battling at Lostelle's for a man who would eventually try to kill me. A tear streaked down my right eye when I couldn't stop thinking about Latias and a sob nearly escaped thinking about how I lost the absolute trust of my Pokémon.

A hand softly touched my shoulder. "Hey… are you okay?"

I snapped out of my trance to see Flannery in my peripheral vision on my right. The last person had just finished walking out the door on my left. Pretending to have something in my eye was the way to go.

"I'm fine."

She knew it was bullshit but didn't bother to press the issue. "First time doing yoga?"

"Oh yeah. If you couldn't already tell, I'm as stiff as a board. Apparently, I have muscles in places I didn't even know I had."

"Same feeling when I tried it for the first time. Glad you could make it!" I took care of my area before walking back to the Pokémon Center.

Brochures about the hot springs had a lot of information crammed in. For 500P, I'd get a spot in the public section until dusk. A private area skyrocketed to 2,500P per hour but included some extra perks; one being the ability to stay up to two hours after closing to the public. I made a reservation for one hour before closing before buying a bathing suit.

When the time came, I dropped everything off in my room except my Poké Balls. Linoone always tolerated the beach back home although I wasn't sure how everyone else would handle it aside from Aggron; no way a Pokémon of his typing would jump in. A staff member escorted me through a curtain at the end of the main lobby.

The public area had a few people lounging around against some rocks. The ambiance was better than I expected for a common area, but it got better when we walked into the side of Mount Chimney. Frosted glass doors jutted out from the side. There wasn't an artificial ceiling, but side walls separated each room for a better sense of privacy.

"Here's your spot. You'll have a nice 625 square foot section of water that's about three feet deep, comfortable places to sit in and out of the water, a sand pile, towels, a miniature fan to help you cool off, a dimmer switch on the wall to make your area darker or lighter, a clock, and an intercom system if you need to call for anything. We'll escort you back to the Pokémon Center when we close. Enjoy!"

Aside from the sand and water, the rest of the ground was covered by tile. Sand was something I never liked when I went to the beach, so I slowly climbed into the natural hot tub. The initial sting quickly wore off and I was in heaven. Just the sound of water sloshing echoed throughout the cave.

"Fucking perfect," I mumbled with a smile on my face. "Totally worth the 7,500P."

One hour had passed when I decided to step out. Someone who was finishing up walked past my door leaving the entire cave to myself. I sat in front of the fan enough to dry my skin off then two pairs of footsteps had made their way in.

"We're closed, but there is a trainer in the next area over. He requested a three-hour timeframe so you'll both be out at the same time," I managed to make out.

"Really!? They must be loaded!" It was Flannery's voice.

"He looked exhausted. I'd say it was worth it."

She let out a laugh. "No kidding. See you in a few hours!"

I felt a mix of frustration and awkwardness after I heard her get settled. Even some alone time doing nothing was preferable to having someone around. If I had booked an area when it was open, I wouldn't mind company. My situation wasn't like my parents' after-hours dates on the beach before I was born either. At least they knew each other. Eventually, I got back in the spring but left my Pokémon Balls on the edge.

"They need to at least come out," I whispered while staring at them. "One at a time is better."

Linoone was the first to come out seeing as he had the most experience with water. The hot air hit him like a ton of bricks and he needed a moment to get adjusted. I urged him explore on his own although burying himself in the warm sand was his first option. Purring was something he'd never done until he settled in. I let Altaria out next.

She didn't mind the steam and heat as much; living around route 114 and 115 in the mountains before being taken in was good practice. Getting into the water was her choice and she didn't need any effort to stay afloat.

"Don't mind your wings getting wet?" I playfully asked. She shook her head then drifted to a corner to sleep. "Much different than surfing though."

When both of them achieved peak laziness, I stared at the other teammates still cooped up. Magneton worried me even with its electricity. Its history of disobeying me in battle never translated to outside of battle. Still, I got out of the water and took its ball to Linoone.

"What do you think? Should I let out Magneton? Would it be comfortable?" He turned his head then scratched at the ball. "I guess," I nervously replied.

The water splashed against the divider on Flannery's side. "You're calling it out!? Hold on, I'm coming over!"

"Huh!?"

Her feet sloshed on the tile before I heard her open her door. "Are you naked or not? Just because you can be in a private area, doesn't mean you can show off."

"Wait, what? No!"

I saw a general outline of her through the frosted glass but no distinct features. It was clear that she was wearing a red bikini; it was probably obvious that I was wearing my bathing suit. Flannery calmly walked in to see my partners lounging around. She had a Poké Ball in her hand.

"Look, I haven't had to deal with an electric type in a long time and I'd rather not get caught by surprise." That calm demeanor from yoga was long gone.

"Just trying to make sure everyone can get something out of this. A break is something I need right about now."

She dipped a towel in the spring. "Steel types usually don't like getting in the spring, but there's a way to make them feel good."

The towel was handed to me. "You're kidding… right? Polishing it?"

"My grandpa has been around these hot springs long enough to know a few tricks!"

I let Magneton out after thinking it over. There wasn't any reaction when I showed the damp towel. I thought it wasn't too big of a deal although I was still scared of getting zapped.

"Hey! So… would you like to be polished?" I sheepishly asked my steel type. No response aside from a low buzz; Flannery tried not to laugh. "Maybe if I start on the back?"

It started to float away at the first touch but eventually settled down. To my surprise, some grime came off its body. Gray blotches eventually formed on the white towel as I polished it. A second towel was needed to finish the job. Magneton was noticeably happier and eventually floated around the area showing its teammates.

"That doesn't make any sense. How was it so dirty? Doesn't taking it to a Pokémon Center usually clean it up?" I asked Flannery.

She sat down at the table. "Not everything is done when you put that ball in a healing machine. Sometimes you need to do a little more work. It took me a few months to realize what made my Pokémon happier."

"I guess you're right. Linoone and Altaria like to be pet. Besides, how can I do this on the road? I can't take jugs of hot spring water with me."

"Look in marts. They sell more than healing items and Poké Balls. Have any more with you?"

"One." I stared at the last ball on the edge of the spring. "You think Aggron would like it being part rock type?"

Her demeanor turned serious. "Be careful with it. Stick to the head and metal on its spine." Aggron could see everyone relaxing through his ball so keeping him in wouldn't do me any favors.

The pool of water scared him despite calling him out as close to the door as possible. It took Altaria to convince him that calling him out wasn't a punishment and Magneton presumably told him about the polishing treatment. He reluctantly sat while I grabbed another towel.

"Let's start with the horns, okay?" I softly urged.

Despite the hundreds of battles that he used them in, they were still smooth on the sides with a sharp point. They were also dirtier than any part of Magneton's body. He let out a big sigh as I found a clean spot on the towel to rub the rest of his head. I had never seen him look so peaceful before.

"Good! Does that feel better?" Aggron closed his eyes before getting on his stomach. "I'll take that as a yes. Now how about the spine?"

He didn't flinch as I carefully rubbed the steel plates on his back. I cringed at how quickly the towel turned black and grabbed my last clean one. Even that one barely lasted the rest of the cleaning process. He hummed in approval before falling asleep.

"See? Told you!" Flannery said with a smile.

I looked around in utter disbelief. For the first time in nearly a year, every one of my Pokémon were genuinely happy. The scene in front of me was worth the tradeoff of Flannery seeing my entire team. At least I didn't tell her I had a battle tomorrow or give away any moves. She carefully tiptoed around Aggron to the door.

"Well then… I'm gonna go back to my area. I'll throw over a clean towel for you. Enjoy the rest of the night!"

Once she left, Magneton got tired and decided to lie on the warm tile next to his fellow steel type. Altaria stared at me before floating to the edge of the steps flashing a big grin. She pointed to the wall then hummed inquisitively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" A wing covered her mouth and she started to laugh; I leaned in. "Ha ha very funny. Still… Flannery  _is_ attractive. Too bad she's probably out of my league. I don't want to turn into Shawn either," I whispered while petting her.

Jumping back in the hot springs after dimming the light was like hitting a reset button on my body. I nearly fell asleep for the remainder of my stay. The sound of a towel landing in the sand was enough to snap me back to reality. A staff member came back to get me and I reluctantly called everyone back; I wish it could've lasted all night. Our walk back in the warm night was uneventful as was me getting ready for bed.

The morning after was perfect… too perfect. I felt completely refreshed while walking to the gym; no signs of nervousness either. Nobody besides the receptionist was in the main lobby despite it being close to noon.

"Hello! I'm here for a battle with Flannery."

After the paperwork was done, I was forced to wait until the battle ahead of me was finished. I chose the lobby instead of the bleachers because there was no guarantee that she'd be using the same Pokémon against me. Better to go in not knowing as opposed to getting caught off-guard.

"Sir! You can go to the spare field out back."

"No strings attached?"

"Consider it your lucky day. Flannery has a lot of challengers in the afternoon and doesn't want to be here all day."

Part of me wanted to know what the puzzle was, but I let it go. "Makes sense."

The battle area was barely legal in terms of size. Field conditions were fair with a clear sky and dirt field, but there wasn't much room outside the lines. One small set of bleachers were behind the judge's area that was empty. Flannery eventually came out in a black crop top and jeans with an overly determined look on her face. Was she trying to intimidate me?

"Last night in the hot springs, you got a chance to rest. Now's the time to see if it paid off."

An old man was our referee. "This is an official battle for the Heat Badge! It will be a three on three battle with standard league rules."

Flannery rolled her eyes. "Grandpa! Do you have to announce that every time?"

He glared at her. "Flannery, it's meant for the challenger. You should know this by now! I said I'd volunteer to officiate until I felt you were ready to be on your own." He turned to me. "Any other questions?"

"Nope. Ready when you guys are."

She took a few deep breaths to refocus. "We'll start off strong! Let's go Magcargo!" I gave it a blank stare.

"Challenger, you must send out a Pokémon," her grandpa urged.

"Before I do that… do gym leaders share information on challengers?

They gave each other confused looks then went back to me. "Come again?"

"It's a little odd that a Pokémon like Magcargo is being used against a person with only two badges. You're not the first leader to start a battle with an evolved Pokémon either. I don't really have much room to complain, but I'd like some closure." Flannery's body went stiff while her grandfather remained emotionless. "Alrighty then, I'll make my selection. Aggron!"

His demeanor was no longer that of a spoiled child. The opposing Pokémon breathed small amounts of fire to scare him; it didn't work. Aggron bumped his knuckles together then let out a loud roar.

"Aggron versus Magcargo. Go!"

She immediately went for the kill. "Overheat!"

"Rock Slide!"

Aggron stomped the ground to send large rocks flying across the way. No rocks fond the mark, but it was enough to weaken the blast. A white glow enveloped Flannery's Pokémon after the stream of fire stopped.

"Set up Light Screen for later!" she quickly yelled.

"Rush in with Iron Tail!" Blue eyes glowed across the way as I saw an outline of a barrier. I hoped it was worth it because Magcargo took a direct uppercut to the face. "Again!"

"Overheat!"

My Pokémon was in a better position to attack then bail out. Despite Overheat being used a second time, I was surprised to see it hadn't gotten weaker. Aggron threw himself to the side to dodge the strong attack.

"Way to think on your feet Aggron! Keep up the pressure with Rock Slide!"

"Use your own Rock Slide!" The field was carved out even more as both Pokémon went to work chucking rocks. Aggron eventually got frustrated with throwing a couple at a time and opted to make it rain rocks. "Melt them with Overheat!"

The blast wasn't as strong as before, but the intensity was enough to make the largest rocks shrink. It also allowed for a nice distraction.

"Iron Head!"

Aggron as a species was slow relative to most Pokémon. Luckily for us, Magcargo was even slower. It was recovering from an onslaught of attacks and couldn't get out of the way of a strong hit. A direct hit to the shell caused the knockout.

"Magcargo is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"

We cleared a huge mental hurdle with those words. I had to keep him hidden against Roxanne, he got hosed in the battle against Brawly, and took a frustrating loss against Norman. The joy on his face from winning against a gym leader didn't match any victory at Lostelle's.

"We're not afraid of fire types!" He flexed for good measure.

There was some disdain on the referee's face and Flannery was slightly frustrated. The type advantage worked out for both of us in the previous round so it came down to a matter of who snuck in a hit. Unfortunately for me, the advantage went away with her next choice.

"Camerupt, I choose you!"

I was no stranger to the hybrid fire and ground type. "Aggron, take a break! Altaria, you're up!"

"Oh brother. Well, at least it's not a water type," she said while rubbing her forehead. I internally kicked myself for forgetting to catch Tentacool by Petalburg City and train it.

Her grandfather refocused. "Altaria versus Camerupt. Begin!"

Despite having the type advantage back on my side, I opted for the cautious route. "Sing!" Her melody didn't look like it had any effect.

"You want to cause some problems? Fine! Camerupt, use Attract!"

For a Pokémon that didn't look that attractive, it did its best to flirt. A distinct sweet smell filled the air while it attempted what looked like a mating dance. When it was done, Altaria tilted her head in confusion then looked to me for orders. I started to laugh.

"Feels uncomfortable, doesn't it?" I playfully taunted. Altaria turned her head to the side while pouting. I turned my attention to Flannery. "Camerupt is a female, right? Attract won't work."

"We'll be fine. Sunny Day!" Flannery ordered with confidence.

"Dragon Breath!" A green stream of fire was mostly deflected by the Light Screen set up earlier. The sun's heat quickly amplified and I started to sweat. "Try Sing again!"

"Overheat! Spread it out!"

Steam came from Camerupt's humps before it shot fire from its mouth. More came out of its humps that angled downward. Altaria did her best to fly around but couldn't find a big enough opening to avoid a hit. Although she took a heavy hit, her dragon typing mitigated the damage and her lullaby got through to Flannery's Pokémon.

"Use Fly!" Altaria had more than enough time to line up for the perfect shot. She dove into the middle blue circle on its side, knocking it over. "Dragon Breath!"

"Please wake up and use Overheat!" Flannery pleaded.

Her yelling didn't wake up her partner and Altaria had another free shot. Light Screen initially deflected most of the attack until it faded into thin air. With it defenseless, the damage racked up. I thought it would wake up to fire off a strong attack, but it ended up fainting while asleep.

"Camerupt is unable to battle. Altaria wins!"

"Now we're fucking cooking! Good job Altaria!"

Flannery looked to her grandfather. "Are you sure I can't switch in a gym battle?"

"You cannot switch! Gym leaders are supposed to be resourceful. For every Pokémon that falls in love with Camerupt, there's going to be a round like what just happened. That's how battling is sometimes."

I wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for her or tell her to suck it up. Having Linoone being toxic stalled out by a Swalot back when I was a gym trainer, I understood where she was coming from. Knowing that your Pokémon was unable to do attack because of a status condition was a bad feeling. Maybe she would learn from that round.

"Looks like my back is against the wall. Torkoal, I need you!"

Dad owning one made my choice easy. Normally, I would've gone to Linoone and spam Sand Attack to blind it before going on the offensive; the Coal Pokémon's White Smoke ability protected it from such moves. It also had naturally high physical defense because of its shell. A plus for me was that it was even slower than Magcargo.

"Ref, I'm making a switch. Linoone, sub in for Altaria!"

My childhood Pokémon was thrilled to be back on the battlefield. There was a hint of doubt in my mind that he'd be fine for the battle after losing to Norman. Competitiveness was something that drove him even more than Aggron because he lacked the size or moves to make battles easy. He wanted to annoy the opponent at the very least.

"Linoone versus Torkoal. Begin!"

High defenses weren't going to last forever. "Charge in for Slash!"

As he sprinted across the field, our opponents did nothing. It was one of those moments where something bad was going to happen and there was no stopping it. Torkoal's shell started to glow under the sun's intense rays while Linoone clawed at the softer part of its body.

"Gotcha! Now it's time for Overheat!"

With less then two feet between them, the attack found its mark. Either Linoone was tougher than I thought or Torkoal wasn't as strong as her other Pokémon because mine managed to get up. Thick black smoke came from the fire type's nose once it got comfortable.

"What!? That's nuts! No way it should be standing! Use Body Slam!"

"Linoone, you have to run!"

He was still trying to shake off the previous attack when Torkoal landed square on his back. There was a small struggle before he used Pin Missile to get free. His breathing was labored and his legs wobbled worse than Lucas' after squats plus running suicides in the same workout session.

"Return!" I screamed while drawing my Poké Ball as fast as I could. "Aggron, let's bring it home!" He licked his lips after materializing. The sun's intensity faded.

"Aggron versus Torkoal. Go!"

No more fucking up. "Rock Slide!"

Flannery let out a sigh. "I can see where this is going. Overheat!"

To everyone's surprise, Aggron took a different approach. Torkoal's attack had a lot less power behind it so he was willing to take the hit first. He stomped on the field to break it up then used his tail to send the rocks in the air.

"Duck for cover then use Curse!"

All the glowing in the world wasn't going to save it from being covered. "We've got it on the ropes! Finish it with Rock Slide!"

It continued to add to the rock pile until the Coal Pokémon couldn't be seen. There was some movement as its head managed to wiggle out. Rushing in for a final attack wasn't needed as the rocks on top fell and repeatedly hit its head resulting in it going unconscious.

"Torkoal is unable to battle. Aggron wins! This match goes to the challenger!"

I ran as fast as I could through the messy field with my hands up. This was what Aggron needed the most and he got it. The gym leader curse was broken.

"Let's go baby! That's what I'm fucking talking about!" I did my best to hug him. "I'm proud of you for sticking it out!" He carefully hugged me back then softly patted my head.

Our referee couldn't help but smile along with Flannery. They came over with a badge and TM disc in hand.

"As the gym leader of Lavaridge Town, I hereby present you with the Heat Badge and the disc for Overheat," Flannery proudly stated.

"Thank you!"

She took a deep breath and sat down. "I still need work on using different attacks instead of relying on one that loses power every time I use it or a White Herb. That being said, you earned the win. It's not every day someone doesn't use a water type."

"Yeah… I need to catch one."

I walked Aggron to the side to decompress while they fixed the field. The sparkling badge in the natural sunlight made him smile; I let him hold it when he sat down. He even gently nudged the rounded part of his head against my shoulder. I tried not to cry while rubbing it in response.

We could start being a team again.

 


	19. Wake-Up Calls

It took every assistant in the gym to help repair the field from our battle. I leaned back to bask in the glory of how well my team handled Flannery. We had a few things going like having Rock Slide or Altaria to wall Camerupt, but her experience played a role. Not every gym leader was going to be so inexperienced. Perfect storm or not, the badge was ours. A short break was taken between finishing the field and when next challenger was supposed to arrive.

Getting any more information about how gym leaders operated didn't happen. I offered to battle Flannery's grandfather; he laughed in my face before calling out a Typhlosion. Aggron looked like he wanted no part of it which came as a surprise. I immediately gave up and he went back to his normal self. On the way out of the gym, I was told he was a Hoenn Elite Four member back in the day. Battling him would've been a disaster on many levels.

The mart had the basic trainer necessities along with multi-purpose cleaning equipment. I spent some time wondering if my steel types preferred to be polished on the road. Linoone wasn't a fan of baths and Altaria stayed afloat last light; cleaning them thoroughly could wait. After healing everyone up, I rented a private hot spring area for an hour as a reward for their hard work.

"Job well done! Now that we're feeling good, how about a rematch against Norman?" They were hesitant to buy into my plan. "We can't dodge him forever and he's only going to use stronger Pokémon if we wait. You'll have plenty of time to rest." It was a hard sell, but they went with it. I personally didn't want to see what Pokémon he would use if I had five or more badges.

One hour passed quicker than I thought before we were escorted out. It was around 2:30 when we officially left town feeling better than ever. I carefully scaled down the steep ledges to the east to get on route 112. I called Altaria out when we were in an open area.

"Verdanturf Town should be a good stopping point for the night at our rate of speed." She tilted her head as if telling me she could do better. "You can fly with the best of 'em, but I can't. There's got to be somebody who can help me get more comfortable." My PokéNav rang before I hopped on.

"Ryan? Ryan! Please tell me you're not busy!" Maddie managed to get in between breaths.

"I'm not. Are you alright?"

She caught her breath. "Me? I'm fine. But I've got big news. This all happened early this morning and I'm finally off work."

"Go for it."

"Pokémon Services got a visit from the police," she bluntly stated.

"What!?" I screamed into the PokéNav; Altria jumped. "For what?"

"Apparently the alarm went off before the place was unlocked. Two police officers came along with one league agent."

Not exactly what I wanted to hear; I thought someone from within the company got caught. "Do you know what happened?"

Papers rustled on her end. "From what I heard, some files were taken from a locked cabinet. Since I was a part of the morning crew, they talked to me. Couldn't really help them although the agent looked around the whole building for clues."

My heart skipped a beat. Only one filing cabinet was locked and it contained five portfolio cases which had the zippers locked together. Ein File S was one of them, but I never saw its contents. Stealing something like that from Ardos was beyond risky.

"And?" I asked, hoping for a resolution.

"I don't know. Nothing related to the investigation is in my department. Rumor is that the owner is beyond angry for all of this happening in the first place. There's going to be more security in the future."

Fuck Ardos for what he did. Any misfortune was welcome. "Now I wish I did it."

" _Did_  you do it?" Maddie asked in a serious tone.

"Lavaridge Town has been my home for the past two days and I can't teleport so no. Aside from that, how's everything else there?"

She let out long sigh. "We lost another therapist because they were tired of being constantly berated. I might actually get promoted unless they go on a hiring spree."

"You think Cecil is going to get promoted too?"

"Promoted? Ha! Then he'd start working normal hours!" she yelled before calming down. "Ryan, I don't know what to do with him. I used to be mad at him for not talking to me but now I'm starting to get worried. He's a different person compared to a few months ago," she sobbed. "I want the old Cecil back. I'm not sure if I can do this anymore."

I felt a knot form in my stomach for offering them a job there in hindsight. "Remember, call me anytime for anything or if you don't want to do this anymore."

"Uh-huh." The line went quiet then I heard a small squeak. "I'll talk to you in the future. I need to lie down." A click ended the call.

For better or worse, she knew how I felt. The big difference was that her life didn't appear to be in immediate danger and she could leave without much fuss. No way I'd tell her that because she didn't deserve any of this. Part of me wanted to tell her to quit while the other part needed updates. At least I knew that sneaking around in the middle of the night was a bad idea.

"Running from gym to gym is all I can really do at this point," I mumbled to myself. "Okay Altaria, let's get going."

Clouds eventually roll in, but they were big nonthreatening white ones. I adjusted her speed and altitude for my comfort until I wanted to go a little higher over Mauville. Showing my face around there wasn't going to happen for a long time. As we continued west, Altaria slowed to a stop.

"What's wrong? Do you need a break?" She awkwardly turned her head then used her chin to push my head down. "Altaria… what are you doing?" She fired a Dragon Breath behind us into the clouds. For the first time ever, I saw her snarl.

Some parts of the clouds started to distort quickly before she kept firing away. I assumed she couldn't fly fast enough without making me uncomfortable otherwise she would've flown away. Neither of us could see what was coming at us. A quick flash of blue caught my eye followed by a neon blue around our bodies; we couldn't move.

It took another fraction of a second for Latios to get in front of us. Altaria's anger grew even more as she couldn't fire an attack. They stared speaking to one another and Latios eventually got in her face; they were forehead to forehead. The psychic dragon angerly backed up as is eyes went completely blue. I was shown another memory.

Unlike the last one where the lighting was bad, I could see everything from Latias' perspective. Two people in matching thin white "armor" along with red scarves stood over her with their arms folded. An empty needle was in one hand.

" _We can't have you almost flying away like that again. Luckily for you, this little accessory will help with that in the future,"_ a man said while pulling out a metallic collar.  _"Oh now don't worry. It's not that tight. In fact, it fits you perfectly!"_  he sarcastically added.

A distinct clicking noise echoed through the room. I nearly got motion sickness from Latias moving her head so much.

" _You'll get used to it. In the meantime, I think you need a little nap. We've got a busy day ahead,"_  a woman added.

She took out a remote control with a knob as the only known feature. One large adjustment was made before I felt a jolt of electricity. The shock brought me back to reality although I could barely keep my eyes open. My breathing was labored, I had another massive headache, and we weren't being held in place. The experience was so bad that I lost my balance and fell off Altaria.

I shut my eyes while screaming for dear life. Flailing my arms around trying to grab at anything was the only other thing I could do until I felt an extra burst of wind next to me. The pressure of me landing back on Altaria knocked the wind out of me; I was forced to keep my head down as to not breathe in any extra air. She continued to yell up at Latios until it presumably left.

The adrenaline rush had her taking quick breaths while I pulled myself together. I didn't have to say anything to her because she landed immediately after I could sit up; we were back on route 117 just past the day care center. Everything sunk in and I got down on one knee to vomit on the side of the trail. A trainer who was going into the city saw me.

"Upset stomach? I've got a berry mix for that."

I held up a finger indicating I wasn't done and took a few seconds to respond after everything came out. "Maybe just a little bit."

One sip didn't look like enough to get the trainer off my back, so I drank more. There wasn't any indication they saw the incident in the sky and asked a few questions to make sure I didn't have an illness.

"Flying can be a tough thing. My dad still can't fly on his Tropius for long distances without getting sick."

Rolling with it was the way to go. "Oh yeah… I know the feeling. Anyway, you look like you're going into the city. Doing anything fun?"

A flyer was taken out. "There's a monotype tournament at Lostelle's starting later tonight. I think my poison types can hold their own."

The prized was set at 100,000P for first place. "Even against steel types?"

"Poison types can be versatile," they replied with a grin.

I stood up. "How about a practice battle? I'll use a steel type and you can use one of your poison types."

We stood a good distance apart in an open area after I recalled Altaria. I tossed out Magneton seeing as it didn't get a chance to battle against Flannery. My opponent analyzed my choice then made a selection.

"Here we go Seviper!" The Fang Snake Pokémon stretched its long body to warm up. "You can make the first move."

"Will do. Magneton, Metal Sound!" Its frequency clearly bothered the poison type.

"Crunch! Pull through!"

Seviper lunged across the field bearing its fangs. It was faster than I expected coupled with a hard bite that was clearly hurting my Pokémon.

"Big mistake! Spark!" Electricity surrounded its body which forced Seviper to let go. "Flash Cannon!" A solid beam of light scored a direct hit.

A smirk came from across the way. "Flamethrower!"

I watched in shock as the flames quickly closed in and engulfed Magneton in flames. Despite being a move not common for a Seviper, it was strong enough to land a knockout.

"That's nuts…" was all I could say. I had never seen something so unorthodox.

"Props to you for keeping calm. Everyone else thinks I somehow cheated. Sure… like I know to change a Pokémon's DNA. Also, Seviper is my strongest Pokémon which makes it work better."

I dug through my bag to get my wallet. "We never made a bet, but you earned some money. Here's 500P to cover the entry fee and another 1,000 to spend. Have some fun."

"Wow! Thanks!" The eyes went from the money to me. "Aren't you going to need it to enter?"

"Monotype isn't really my specialty. Good luck though!" I watched the hopeful trainer walk past the day care center with a pep in their step.

Hearing that brought back good memories of battling for large payouts. The 80/20 split was clearly unfair for me seeing as I did all the work, but I made more than any average trainer would travelling around the region. I also faced top-tier competition on a consistent basis. Not many places in the world had such an atmosphere.

It was dusk by the time I made it to the edge of Verdanturf Town. Setting up camp with what little natural light I had was better than going to the Pokémon Center first. The place was smaller than other ones around Hoenn and I didn't get a room last time. After getting set for bed, I let Altaria out again.

"Let me see if Latios hurt you." I checked her over with the flashlight in one hand. "Not a scratch. Does anything feel off?" She shook her head. "Even though we attacked it… was it because it wanted to show me that vision? Couldn't it have done both?"

Unfortunately, there wasn't much about Latios as a species in the history books. All I had to go on were small blurbs from centuries ago or Pokédex entries.

"Well, we're fine now so that's all that matters." She curled up next to me. "I want you to use Sing to help me fall asleep. You can go back in your ball after," I quietly ordered. There was no way I'd have a decent night's sleep after what happened.

Altaria nodded before started to hum a melody. The humming turned to audible singing and I slowly fell asleep.

* * *

Having Altaria sing a lullaby turned out to be a good decision; I didn't have any problems sleeping through the night. The Humming Pokémon didn't go back inside her ball which gave me mixed feelings. She could handle herself, but I preferred if she slept in the safety of a Poké Ball.

"Ok lazybones, we're heading out," I playfully said once I cleaned up the campsite. As I went to get on her back, I froze. "Maybe I'll walk today. It's not like we're on a tight schedule." I recalled her then walked into town.

I went to the Pokémon Center to heal Magneton up after the most unusual battle it ever had. Getting earplugs from the mart was my next step because Rusturf Tunnel was still full of Whismur. When I got to the entrance, I opted for a different plan to get through.

Putting everything to sleep was smart, but it was also irresponsible. What if another trainer was inside? I got lucky last time and didn't need to push my luck. Magneton's sparks lit the way along with acting as a Whismur repellent. It was the same as last trip with them watching me carefully until I left the other side. There weren't any trainers so at least Altaria had a chance to rest even more.

"Good work Magneton." It stared at the ground. "If you're thinking about yesterday, don't worry about it. I'm not mad at you. It's my fault that I got baited into a battle and got swept up in trying to show that trainer a thing or two."

It took my words into consideration before looking defeated again. The hot springs bettered our relationship and I didn't want it to devolve so quickly.

"You're more than a flashlight, okay? I didn't want to use you against Flannery because she spammed Overheat and that last battle was a fluke. There's always going to be some rough patches. We have a rematch against Norman coming up and you're going to play a huge role. Trust me, you mean a lot to this team."

The words of encouragement were enough for it to give me a hopeful look. Losing to a Pokémon that had a type disadvantage was upsetting for any Pokémon. They'd probably get mocked in the wild or even worse depending on the nature of the pack. I let it hover next to me on the way to Rustboro until it tapped the center circle of its ball on its own.

A few trainers were looking to battle as I moved through route 116. Most of them were rookies so I didn't make any wagers. Linoone wasn't bothered by his rough outing against Flannery; he was more than happy to get back on the field. After the last trainer was defeated, my Pokédex beeped. A notification was on the main screen.

_Linoone is trying to learn Double-Edge. To get rid of a move, please select the one you wish to delete and point the Pokédex at Linoone._

Double-Edge was a powerful move, but Aggron already knew it. Also, the move didn't fit Linoone's guerilla battle style. Recoil from the move would affect him over the course of a battle. When it was tired, it could end up making him faint. We'd both rather use Sand Attack to force a miss late in a round then follow up with Slash rather than try to outmuscle another Pokémon. I scrolled to the next screen.

 _Stop trying to learn Double-Edge?_ I clicked the "yes" option.  _Linoone did not learn Double-Edge._ My partner looked back at me and nodded. I went over to comfort the sulking trainer.

"There's a lot of trainers running around Hoenn. You'll run into a few fluke battles along the way. Don't let this get you down." The words seemingly fell on deaf ears as the trainer continued walking with their head down.

"Sure hope so."

I felt a little bad wining by ordering Pin Missile on their Mudkip. Using Slash might've been too much although maybe it would have been less insulting. I sat underneath a tree with Linoone.

"Double-Edge would've been annoying to have, huh," I said while rubbing his head. He rolled over on his back with his paws trying to grab my hands. "Belly rubs? I thought you hated those." One stroke had him smiling with his eyes closed.

Although his moves were decent, they wouldn't be able to take down stronger Pokémon as time went on. Buying a TM or two would have to come after research. If he still saw himself as a nuisance, he'd be willing to upgrade.

We continued walking until reached the Rustboro Pokémon Center. There was an area out back for everyone to relax and eat dinner. Newbie trainers resting up looked scared from across the way. My offer to show off my team was quickly turned down. I couldn't blame them; Aggron alone secretly scared me until a few days ago.

After my team ate, I walked around the city looking for a place to treat myself. A modest looking 24-hour diner was nestled in the far northwest corner of the city. It didn't come as a surprise that I was the only customer seeing as the time was 8:30. The late shifters wouldn't be in for a few hours.

"What'll it be?" a waitress asked shortly after I sat at the counter.

"Pancakes with three eggs. Cold Mango Berry smoothie to drink. Oh! Water too, please."

She gave me a weird look. Probably thought I wanted dinner food. "Coming right up."

The sound of the flat top sizzling along with dishes clanging from being washed was a nice change of pace from the sounds of nature. It was like the food court back home except I didn't have to battle to keep my spot at a table. I was halfway done with my meal until another person walked in and sat two stools away from me.

"Oh dear… what's wrong honey?" my waitress asked the customer. I look up to see Roxanne looking run-down.

"Emergency league stuff. I just needed a place to sit down that wasn't my apartment. May I have some water?"

"No food?"

She glanced over at my plate. "Maybe a short stack of pancakes. My stomach's a little off."

"Will do."

The waitress ran back to relay the order while the two us quietly sat at the counter. Roxanne stared at me until she remembered who I was.

"Uh… uh… Ryan! Good to see you again. How's the gym challenge treating you?"

I took out my badge case. "Pretty good so far. Nearly halfway done with a long time to go before the tournament starts."

Her hand hovered over the gaps between badges. "No Balance Badge, huh. How was Norman?"

"Just like you said. I almost won though."

"So when's the rematch?"

"In a few days. A lot has changed for the better since our battle."

"And what about the Dynamo Badge? If I remember from your paperwork, you're from Mauville. I thought that would've been your first badge."

I stiffened up. "There's a lot of reasons I didn't battle Wattson first." Her meal came out after I chose not to elaborate on why.

One bite made Roxanne realize how hungry she was. An order for a large hearty bowl of soup was placed after the pancakes didn't last long. I got caught staring at her plate.

"Sorry about that. I haven't eaten since breakfast and I've also been in meetings all day." She twiddled her thumbs. "Everyone will find out eventually, but I might as well tell you the league stuff now. It's about Wattson."

My food nearly came back up. "Hold on… what?"

Roxanne leaned in. "For reasons even I don't know, he's not going to be the Mauville gym leader for some time. We spent the whole day finding a replacement."

Despite all the bullshit he had to go through on a daily basis, there were zero outward signs of him wanting to quit. It wasn't like I could ask Roxanne because she was upset and clueless as I was. The league executives might have been the only people to know what was going on.

"Then who's taking over?"

"An assistant. The consensus was that it was better to have homegrown talent as opposed to bringing in someone from the league office."

"What about New Mauville? Wattson is a part owner."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess the league fully owns it now. Don't know much beyond that."

Processing all the information at once nearly gave me a headache. The worst part was that I couldn't talk to Wattson myself even if I tried; I didn't know where he lived. Calling the gym itself about the situation probably wouldn't yield any answers because they'd probably cite a league rule or something.

"Thanks for the heads-up. I don't really have access to news on the road unless it's by word of mouth."

"Do you have a newer PokéNav model?"

"Yes."

"It's more than just a map. Did you read the instruction manual?"

My face turned red out of embarrassment. "No," I mumbled while looking down.

She let out a quiet laugh. "Maybe pay a visit to Devon Corporation's head office before you leave town tomorrow." We paid our tabs before parting ways for the night.

The only thing I could think about was if Wattson would be back by the time I needed the Dynamo Badge.

* * *

Devon's customer service department was more than helpful by telling me how to use my PokéNav to the fullest. Under the main menu, I could access the internet from nearly anywhere in Hoenn along with BuzzNav. What BuzzNav did was offer news videos and articles from across the region; meant for those who wanted a quick recap of the previous day or previewing the day ahead. A copy of the instruction manual was handed to me for good measure.

I read about the finer points on the way out of the city under a sunny sky. Two girls around 14 years old were waiting on the edge of Petalburg Woods as I put the manual away. They weren't looking to battle; they were looking at me intently. The older one elbowed what appeared to be the younger one.

"Can you help us? We're in some trouble."

At least they didn't look injured. "What kind of trouble?"

The oldest one sighed. "My parents sent us to the Pretty Petal flower shop, but my younger sister here just  _had to_  battle a passerby. Now her Azurill is poisoned despite me bailing her out. Got anything to help so it doesn't faint?"

Raising a Pokémon that evolved by friendship was something I couldn't imagine doing. "Yeah."

"Is it one of those bitter herbal powders? Azurill would hate any of them," the younger sister added.

"Nope. Antidote," I replied while taking it out. "You should spray it long with this Super Potion too. Know your limits next time."

I watched the medicine go to work along with a sisterly scolding; they started to head back to Rustboro. I called out Altaria for a flyover.

"Here we go."

As I walked up to her, I froze again before breaking out into a cold sweat. My breathing got quicker until I forced myself to cough. She looked back me then tilted her head in confusion.

"Sorry for wasting your time. Return," I sighed. With the forest Pokémon being hostile, I called out Magneton to help me if things got bad.

We took our time going through Petalburg Woods as to not cause too much of a disturbance. Dustox stood guard over Cascoon nests near the main pathway in the middle of the woods; Magneton had to talk it out of attacking. A group of Shroomish near the exit had to be persuaded with sparks. Just like last time, any Wurmple didn't pose a threat.

Our pace was slower than I thought since it was late afternoon by the time we were back on route 104. After thanking Magneton, I walked a little faster to the gym. The place had a few older trainers ahead of me.

"Can I put in a request to challenge Norman please? I was here about a week ago."

"Pokédex please," a receptionist requested. I handed it over. "We'll update your information while you wait. Please understand that Norman may not get to you today due to the high volume of trainers."

I was more than happy close my eyes in the corner while the others went ahead. Footsteps were constantly echoing through the lobby until I fell asleep. A hand shaking my shoulder brought me back to reality; the little amount of sunlight left was the only light in the lobby. Norman stood over me with my Pokédex in hand.

"Ready for our rematch? I'll be waiting in the back."

"Oh… okay," I yawned as he walked through a door. Every assistant's room was empty on the way to the field. "Kept the lights on I see."

Norman took his place in his trainer box. "And I see you earned another badge. Still have less than four so you don't have to battle any assistants."

"How late is it? They're not here."

"About 7:30. It's not the first time I stayed late for a challenger."

Our referee took his place. "This will be a battle for the Balance Badge! Gym leader Norman will use three Pokémon. Challenger, how many Pokémon do you declare for battle?"

"Four."

"Very well. Every other league rule still applies. Wait for my signal to start."

The gym leader shook his head. "Still not using six Pokémon against me?" I didn't take the bait. "Let's see if you earned that third badge. I'll start with Kangaskhan!"

Unconventional start to say the least. "Altaria, I choose you!" The Pokémon stared each other down.

"Altaria versus Kangaskhan. Go!"

I wanted her to stick around longer than last time. "Cotton Guard!"

"Façade!"

My Pokémon's wings glowed while becoming puffier. She ducked her head behind them as Kangaskhan lowered its shoulder into the fluffy wall. The normal type tried punching through but didn't have any luck.

"Sing!" Her voice got to it and the punches gradually got weaker until Kangaskhan fell asleep. "Go in with Fly!"

"Come on! Wake up!"

Norman's screaming didn't do anything as Altaria took her time to get in a good hit. She repeated the cycle as the yelling continued. While surveying the field from above, Kangaskhan started to open its eyes.

"You gotta go now! Don't worry about getting a big hit!" Neither of us were completely happy with the result.

"Retaliate!"

"Dragon Breath! Wait for it!"

Even though it wasn't being used after a teammate fainted, it still looked like a strong attack. Altaria hid behind her fortified wings until she found a window to shoot. The green fire hit her opponent's arm that was thrown up to minimize the damage. Visible blue static came from it after the attack stopped.

"See that? In any other situation, you'd have an advantage," Norman said with a sly smile. "Not here. Façade!"

Hiding wouldn't do her any good with a boosted attack coming at her. "Sing!"

Altaria's tune didn't affect the normal type as it jumped across the way. It raised both arms above its head before dropping them like a hammer on a nail. Despite the added defense from Cotton Guard and throwing up a wing to absorb the blow, the attack was too much. Fucking critical hit got her again.

"Altaria is unable to battle. Kangaskhan wins!"

I recalled her after I let her vent. Flannery's grandfather was right; everyone caught a bad break eventually.

"Ryan, can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"Is there a reason you chose to use Sing instead of dodge? Maybe fly away?"

"Considering we're in a closed environment and I don't know what a Kangaskhan is capable of, I thought it was my best choice. I didn't want to rely on paralysis to kick in either."

He nodded slowly. "Not a bad thought process. Kangaskhan has the potential to the roof of the gym, but it would've been hard to reach the maximum height in its current condition. Overall, a good decision."

Getting legitimate praise had to be a mind trick. I just didn't want my next Pokémon to take too much damage.

"Here we go Linoone!" Battling to annoy wasn't our main objective seeing as Altaria did it first.

"Linoone versus Kangaskhan. Begin!"

Speed would set everything up. "Slash attack!"

"Brick Break!"

No surprise as Linoone easily zipped across the field to score a direct hit. Kangaskhan tried to lift its paralyzed arm to no avail. The other one was clearly non-dominant since it lacked a lot of speed during the swing; it was an easy dodge for Linoone.

"Pin Missile! Fire!"

The onslaught of needles was targeted in three different spots for maximum annoyance. Round one was aimed at the head, round two was at the body, and round three was at the feet of the opposing normal type. Heavy breathing echoed through the area before a loud thud did.

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle. Linoone wins!"

That round couldn't have gone any better. Grabbing a knockout while not taking damage made up for the critical hit on Altaria.

"Not bad. Avoiding a hit put you in a good position. Now let's see how you handle my own Linoone!"

Both Pokémon were surprised to see each other on the opposite side. It nearly turned into a comedy show as they tried to mimic one another. Right paw went up? The other one's paw went up. Head tilt to the left? The same thing followed. It was harmless fun until mine got back in the zone. Norman dropped his serious demeanor just enough to crack a small smile.

"As fun as that was, I'm making a switch. Linoone, return! Aggron, tag in!"

Unless it was packing the fighting variant of Hidden Power, it wasn't going to hurt Aggron that much. I still ran the risk of a surprise big hit. Slaking had to be his last choice because Vigoroth as a last line of defense made no sense. Still, he  _knew_  I had two steel types.

Our referee was still trying to put their game face back on after the Linoone mirror show. "Aggron versus Linoone. Start!"

"Keep your distance and use Rock Slide!" Aggron broke up part of his side of the field in order to make it rain rocks.

"Jump on the rocks then go in with Rock Smash!" I fucking knew it!

His Linoone waited for a large enough rock to jump on then went to town. It bounced from rock to rock until it was within striking distance. Aggron tried to grab it only to miss. Linoone soared over my Pokémon's head then hit it in the back with a glowing claw. The hit cause Aggron to get down on one knee.

"You okay?" It got up relatively fast. "Try Iron Tail!"

Without turning around, he swatted away hoping to land a hit. Norman's Linoone was quick on its feet avoiding the powerful swings. It found a window to get back in front of its target.

"Headbutt!"

Was he insane? "Double-Edge!" I underestimated its speed and footwork as it maneuvered around a potentially severe blow. The hit was to the softer front side causing a flinch. "Rock Smash!" Another uppercut brought Aggron to its knees. I took out his ball knowing he needed a break.

"Return!" He shook me off before popping back up. I decided against better judgement and kept him in. "Rock Slide!"

"You know what to do Linoone!"

It was rinse and repeat as the normal type navigated the falling rocks with ease. However, we were ready for the attack from behind.

"Quickly tune around and use Iron Head!" Linoone looked surprised as Aggron turned in time to hit it near the sideline. "Iron Tail!"

He ran most of the way and jumped the last few feet to ensure he'd get a hit off. The tail sent Norman's partner skidding across the uneven field into a rock pile formed earlier. It stayed in an upright position while its head bobbed from side to side until it slid down on its back.

"Linoone is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "As someone who knows how annoying they can be, it still feels weird going up against one."

"To be fair, you inspired me to use mine." He called out Slaking as his last choice. "Now what will you do with Aggron's defenses lowered?"

My steel Pokémon let out a roar then pounded his tail on the ground. Slaking didn't use any fighting moves last time out although Swagger was still a problem. A potential Retaliate attack would knock out Linoone or force Magneton's Sturdy ability to activate. Even with a defense drop, Aggron could take the initial hit.

"I trust Aggron's judgment about staying in."

Norman smiled. "Well, where was this attitude last time?"

"I wasted it on Brawly that day," I joked.

The flags went up. "Aggron versus Slaking. Go!"

Nobody wanted to make the first move. I started questioning my choice not to substitute. Feint Attack was the only other attack I saw from it last time out. Eventually, Aggron looked back at me for orders.

"Double-Edge!"

Ramming full force into Slaking with little resistance was satisfying to see for a split second. Slaking grabbed both horns and wrestled it to the ground.

"Counter!"

His Slaking wasn't the one from last time. A quadruple resisted Retaliate would've been a safer bet than relying on not getting knocked out. It was a level of trust that I never had with my Pokémon, even in the best of times.

I looked on in horror as a dim light covered the semi-lazy Pokémon before picking Aggron up and throwing him to the ceiling. I couldn't get his ball out fast enough to recall him before he hit the ground. Either he didn't do enough damage to have it turned against him or Rock Smash didn't weaken him enough because he got back up; the breathing was very labored.

"You did your job! Take a rest!" Playing hero was a bad option. "Linoone, you're up!"

Our referee acknowledged the switch. "Linoone versus Slaking. Battle!"

Truant worked in my favor. "Sand Attack!" A defenseless Slaking sat down as the dirt was essentially shoveled in its eyes. It covered a small section on its body like it was protecting something.

"Good idea in theory. Too bad it doesn't work in execution. Feint Attack!"

Even with its eyes shut, it managed to punch Linoone. It still hit hard despite the actual move not being that powerful.

"Covet!" Linoone looked back and smiled at me.

He pranced around Slaking while sniffing for any items. The spot was covered before was dug into and Linoone dug out a Sitrus Berry. Scratching followed before he retreated to my side of the field; he quickly ate his stolen prize.

"Dinner was supposed to be after the battle," I playfully said. Norman was surprisingly calm about the situation.

"Slaking, use Yawn!"

A loud yawn echoed throughout the gym and Linoone started to sway with heavy eyes. It took advantage of the situation by trying to rub sand out of its eyes.

"Naptime can wait. Return! Magneton, let's bring it home!"

Its humming was louder than usual. The somewhat carefree demeanor had been replaced with a serious one. Honestly, it was a little creepy seeing rigid movements while analyzing the field.

"Magneton versus Slaking. Go!"

I didn't know how Norman put up with an exploitable ability like Truant. "Metal Sound!" Slaking had no choice but to take the punishment.

"Feint Attack!"

Leftover sand wasn't a problem as it homed in on my Pokémon. A slap into the side wall looked worse than the result; Magneton calmly floated back to the field.

"Flash Cannon!"

Its magnets point inward before it started to gather energy. The actual attack was the strongest I had ever seen from it. Slaking was slowly pushed back until the beam caused a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, the normal type was unconscious on its back.

"Slaking is unable to battle. Magneton wins! This match goes to the challenger!" Magneton whizzed around the field after dropping the serious tone. I managed to catch up to it.

"Role player coming up clutch! Let's fucking go!" I encouraged with a big smile.

Norman calmly gave his Slaking words of encouragement as the referee started the post battle paperwork. Our 3-0 score was a lot closer considering Aggron was about to faint and Linoone took a few hits. I was more than happy to take the win.

"Ryan, as proof of your victory, I hereby present you with the Balance Badge." He reached into his jacket after I took the badge. "As a bonus, here are the TM discs for Façade and Retaliate."

"Wait… I get two?"

He nodded. "Remember, the league and I negotiated on how the gym would be run. This is an extra perk for trainers."

"I see. Now that I think about it, was Slaking's last move one of those?"

"Façade," he bluntly replied. "You put me in a bad spot with Sand Attack and I didn't want to risk missing."

We walked to the front of the gym once everything was taken care of. I probed Norman's mind about why he switched up his team along with his strategy. His mindset was that the gradual progression of strength of his Pokémon wouldn't work twice in a row on me; he wanted to beat me down from the start. The one regret he had was that he led with Kangaskhan instead of Slaking.

"Thanks for everything Norman. Can't wait to keep up the momentum on the way to Fortree City."

"Why not Mauville?"

I internally cringed. "I'm saving that gym for last. I have my reasons."

"That would be a lot of backtracking if you save it for last." I scowled. "Sorry about that. Anyway, one of my friends living there told me about Pokémon Services on the north side of the city. Have you been back home to visit it?"

"No," I replied trying to hold a steady tone.

"People have different experiences, but I'd stay away from it," he urged. "They pushed a lot of unnecessary options on her and her Pokémon's attitude got worse after one visit. She had to fight to get some bullshit fees off her bill too. I'd rather find a private practice if a Pokémon Center isn't enough."

Glad to know somebody besides Maddie was in my corner. "I hear you. Hey, do you think I could get a room at the Pokémon Center at this hour?"

He looked at the clock on the lobby wall. "Probably not. Maybe they'd let you sleep in the lobby if you didn't want to set up your tent in the dark."

"Makes sense. Thanks again!" I sprinted to the Pokémon Center through the street lights.

Every room was taken which meant I had to sleep in a chair; I was the only one in the lobby. Healing the team was a quick process and getting them to eat was even easier. Altaria looked a little down but the camaraderie was strong enough where everyone else picked her up.

Aggron and Magneton got a polishing with the solution from Lavaridge Town. Dirt came off easier than the hot springs while offering a brighter shine. The other two got a heavy dose of petting. I recalled them for bed knowing how happy they were.

I fiddled around with my PokéNav to see if anything was published about Watton and ended up getting a breaking news story on the home page. Last month I wouldn't have cared but considering the circumstances, it hurt to read the headline.

_Veteran Doctor Ellis Dead at the Age of 71._


	20. Opportunities

 

I blankly stared at the headline for minutes as I was getting ready to sleep in the lobby. Part of me feared the next page while the other part wanted closure. I was upset I never told him that Latias had been taken away and that he never saw her again. My finger tapped the screen to open the article.

Ellis' picture was at the top with the story right below. There was a link to his full obituary which was going to remain unclicked seeing as I was in no mood to cry any more than I needed to. I took a deep breath before jumping in.

_Doctor Martin Ellis has died at the age of 71. His estate has confirmed that his death earlier today was a result of natural causes. Calling hours for the 45-year veteran in the Pokémon healthcare field will be in two days near the Fallarbor Town Pokémon Center. There will be a public funeral held at Mount Pyre one week from today at noon._

There were more links at the bottom of the page with specific things to focus on, but I didn't bother looking. I was just glad to hear that he wasn't murdered after I got away considering Latias could've told her captors where he was. Getting to Fallarbor Town in that amount of time was impossible in my current condition. Paying my respects at Mount Pyre in a week was more reasonable.

Trainers coming through the lobby all the morning was the annoying tradeoff for staying inside a heated Pokémon Center. I thought about complaining until I looked outside. The rain was coming down hard along with strong winds; I would've been miserable even with a proper tent setup. Hunkering down allowed me to plan for the upcoming trek.

Littleroot Town was my first stop for two reasons. Professor Birch or any of his assistants could upgrade my Pokédex with the latest software if there was an update or check to see if it was fine. Also, there was a small dock area after clearing the dense forest in the southwest part of town. Catching a ferry or having someone personally take me to Lilycove City were my ideal options. When the storm died down to a drizzle, I headed out.

Paths on route 102 were a nightmare to navigate. Dirt had turned to thick mud while standing water up to my ankles was in the grass. Given the choice between the two, I took the mud because I didn't mind getting my sneakers dirty. Wild Zigzagoon or Poochyena preferred to hide from the rain as I made my way to Oldale Town. A young trainer going the opposite way took out a Poké Ball.

"Finally found someone to battle! We can make this a quick one for 200P."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright. One against one it is. Are you…"

Before I got a chance to continue, they beat me to the punch. "Treecko, I choose you!" Oh brother.

"Linoone, you're up," I groaned. He was slightly annoyed at the conditions. "This'll be quick. I promise."

"Rude!" the trainer yelled in disgust. "Treecko, use Pound!"

"Covet." No surprise that the grass type fainted after Linoone was done with it. "I was going to ask if you were a new trainer. Anyway, pay up," I sighed.

Despite the nonchalant attitude and relaxed body language, the trainer had fear written on their face. They started to run back the way they came after recalling Treecko. I saw their left leg move in a way it wasn't supposed to. A loud splash followed.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Help!"

"Give me a second to get over there! You have to calm down a little bit too." The yelling turned to whimpering as I took out my guide. "Where does it hurt specifically?"

"Somewhere in the back of my leg," they huffed.

I flipped to a general outline of the body. "Sounds like a hamstring injury after you ran into this rut. Let's go to Oldale Town."

"But I can't walk."

"On your bad leg. Just throw your right arm across my back for support, relax the injured leg, and walk with me using your good leg." We slowly made our way into town through the rain.

Nurse Joy saw us through the glass doors of the Pokémon Center and prepared an area for the trainer to rest. I explained what happened while she worked on the hamstring. The initial tests showed that it was strained as opposed to torn. She went to get some pills while I sat down next to the patient.

"What you did was incredibly stupid. If you bet on a battle, be prepared to pay up if you lose. Not like they taught you that in school."

"Oh, shut up!"

I chose to ignore the attitude. "There have been battles where I lost 5,000P and there have been battles where I've had to chase people down for 5,000P."

"See! You were going to come after me!"

I laughed. "Ha! You think I was going to do that over a 200P bet made by a kid? I may be an asshole at times, but I'm also a realist. Can't say the same about others so be careful in the future. With that, I'm out." The rain had picked up again during my time talking to Nurse Joy and figured it was better to keep moving.

Route 101 was seemingly empty with not a single Pokémon in sight. Littleroot Town was even creepier considering nobody was outside at all; it faded when an older lab assistant opened the door.

"How may I help you?" she asked shyly.

"Can I get my Pokédex checked? Maybe use the lab's dryer?"

She turned around then back to me. "Professor Birch is in the middle of something. Feel free to come in though."

Not much had changed since the field trip during my senior year. Various machines were scattered about to examine every type and size of Pokémon. One pool was indoors while another one was outside for water types who had trouble on land. Honestly, it was cool seeing how much he had to work with.

"The trainer hub is to the left at the end of the hall. You can come back here when you're done."

Because Littleroot Town was where most trainers started or ended their Hoenn journey, the professor set up a small area for them. A few chairs, a television, a phone, a washer and dryer, old computer, and reading material allowed people to take care of business before moving on. It also acted as an emergency area in case people in the town lost power.

It was a relief to change clothes while tossing the wet ones in the dryer. Everything else was taken out to be aired out. The forecast called for rain all day around the south-central part of Hoenn; route 109 was cloudy with warmer temperatures. Ocean currents around the town were rough but navigable. I walked back to the lobby in my summer sleeping attire.

"Ah! There you are," Birch cheerfully said. "Finished examining a wild Poochyena with Fire Fang that was on route 101. It's rare to say the least. What can I do for you?"

I handed the Pokédex to him. "Can you make it so this has the newest software and see if it's working properly?"

"Of course! Follow me." He led me over to a computer that scanned it. "Everything's taken care of!"

"Perfect!" I fiddled with it until a light bulb went off in my head. "Professor, have you ever studied the Eon Pokémon?"

He shook his head. "Not really enough to see anything different from what history has to say. They've only stopped near route 103 twice in my time here."

"Anything helps."

"What are you trying to figure out?"

I carefully planned my response. "Well, what does it mean if one of them shows you visions?"

Birch gave me a curious look. "And what are these visions about?"

"People causing trouble for Pokémon," I quickly replied. "I thought it was going to attack me but it didn't. I got a massive headache after it was done then it flew away."

His assistant who let me in stepped forward. "It's either a warning to stay away or a call for help. My Kirlia does it when we're in caves to warn me of what's ahead. You were probably the first person they saw and made you aware of what was going on."

She wasn't entirely right, but I wasn't going to fight her over it. "The difference between that and what happened to me is that I don't know where the vision took place."

"Then I guess they'll just move on to the next person they decide to trust or solve the problem themselves. Going on what is on record, attacking is usually out of defense or a last resort."

Laughing was almost my immediate response. Latios trusting me? Yeah right. Trying to get Latias back even with help? Disaster in the making. Ardos, Jen, Jon, and people in Latias' visions were the only ones that knew Latias' location.

"Professor, anything else to add that's not already out there?" I asked, hoping to make him remember anything.

"Unfortunately, no. Professors across the world have next to nothing on them either," he sighed. "If by some chance you meet them again, relax your mind. Keeps the headaches away."

I gave him a confused stare. "Huh?" The assistant walked over to a lab computer.

"Results from studies confirm that. One note is they were done with strong, fully evolved psychic Pokémon. We're talking Gardeviors, Alakazams, or Espeons that have been around for decades having the ability to do this. Not every psychic type can project, but most of them can at least 'speak' to humans via telepathy if trained enough. It's actually fascinating. You may look if you want."

Charts consistently showed that fighting entry into a trainer's mind would cause a spike in pain. One study used three trainers and three different psychic types to guess what the trainers had for lunch. A slight abnormality was that Pokémon went a little easier on their own trainers as opposed to random Pokémon with random trainers. In the end, each Pokémon correctly guessed what each trainer had for lunch without prior knowledge.

The scary part was the Eon duo was arguably more powerful than the average psychic type. Both of them could literally and mentally toss me around until they got their point across. Opening my mind up completely was also dangerous because they could run rampant. Unless I had a psychic or dark type in my corner, I was at their mercy.

"You're not kidding. How exactly do I relax my mind?" I asked while rubbing my head already thinking about the previous two headaches.

Again, the assistant clicked around the screen. "Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath is a good start. Thinking about as little as possible also works; mentally speaking and welcoming them would save you even more trouble. Then again… it's not easy to do when you're face to face with any Pokémon that's not yours in an uncontrolled setting."

"Helpful information nonetheless. Thank you."

"My pleasure," she said while bowing.

Birch shook my hand. "Your Pokédex needed minor updates for data display but it still would've worked fine if you didn't bring it in. Glad to see you got data on a Kangaskhan! Norman, I take it?"

"Yeah… threw me for a loop when I first saw it."

"I'll bet! His Johto connections aren't going anywhere. Anyway, it was nice meeting you! Good luck on your journey."

My gear was dry when I returned to the area. I made a note to buy hiking boots at the Lilycove department store while I changed into more appropriate clothing. The warmth of the jacket quickly faded as soon as I stepped back into the drizzle and made my way south.

The forest was too condensed to have wild Pokémon on the ground although Wingull and Taillow sat atop the trees. Mud patches were scattered about with some being as wide as the natural trail was. I did my best to maneuver around the annoying obstacles until I saw concrete leading out of the forest.

Smaller ships were anchored in place as the wind picked up again. Many of the sailors were inside a rest stop waiting out the storm. They all glared at me for walking in; didn't appreciate the cold air. I put my head down while walking up to the ticket counter as they continued whatever they were doing.

"One ticket to Lilycove City please."

"Trainer or tourist?" the cashier asked while punching information in.

"Trainer."

"Gotcha. It'll be 1,500 and the next ferry will be here in three hours."

"Son of a bitch," I mumbled. "Bad timing on my part. Thank you."

I sat in an empty booth then closed my eyes. It wasn't long before someone shook my shoulder and I almost inadvertently punched them. Three hours hadn't passed so I was a little upset about being woken up.

A tall older man stood over me wearing a long black coat, jeans, and boots. It looked like he had nothing on underneath or possibly a tank top. He was muscular and had a thick white mustache to go with his short white hair.

"Word around here is that you're looking for a ride to Lilycove," he started in a gruff voice. "I can get you there faster than the ferry."

He looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Really? Where's your boat?"

"Come with me and I'll show you… unless you want to wait another two and a half hours." He had a point.

The vessel was slightly smaller than Mister Briney's boat. Its cabin was completely enclosed and had room for two other people to sit. A few seats were by the bow along the wall if people wanted to enjoy nicer weather. Nothing below deck, though there was a small cot by the control panel. Based on how new everything looked, the captain was the only person riding in it most of the time.

"Looks comfy," I casually stated.

"She also handles well in bad weather. The best of both worlds!" He showed off the bells and whistles. "I don't mind taking you, but it's going to cost you."

Of course. "What's your price?"

"Well, people told me you paid for a ticket so I'm not going to hit you too hard. Between fuel and the actual payment, I think 3,500 will do. Are you a trainer?"

"Yup." I must've given him a look of doubt because he started to hum.

"How about I go down to 3,000 and you can battle me in a one on one match. If you win, you get it for free. Deal?"

That was a quick change in attitude. "On the docks or somewhere else? I'm not trying to destroy anything."

"There's a spot at edge of the forest. Follow me."

We walked through the awful weather down to the other end of the docks before coming across an open grassland area. It looked slightly smaller than regulation size, but it was good enough for me. I took out a coin.

"Call it."

"No. I'll let you do it," he replied.

"Tails never fails." I tossed it up then hovered over it when it came down. "Unless it's heads. Which option do you want?"

He was trying to read me. "I'll send out my Pokémon second." We took our places and I took a page out of Norman's book.

"Aggron, I choose you!"

My strongest Pokémon was slightly annoyed about being sent out in the rain, but it wouldn't hurt him like a Water Gun attack would. The man didn't even change his facial expression.

"Quite the bruiser you got there. Is it your strongest one?"

I nodded. "We just got the Balance Badge and he put in a lot of work."

The man flashed a grin. "If you're going to go all out, I'll match your effort. Salamence, you're up!" Fuck… me… sideways. It was Drake of the Elite Four. I couldn't help but stare in awe at arguably the strongest trainer in Hoenn.

I was never good with famous people's faces outside of seeing them on television or in their work environment. Even Tyson, a former champion of Hoenn, could walk down the street and I wouldn't know who he was. The fact that Drake didn't have his captain's hat on also threw me off.

"Are you alright?" he asked with some concern.

"Y-y-yeah. I didn't think I'd be battling someone from the  _Elite Four_  anytime soon," I managed to get out.

Drake playfully threw his hands up. "Ah you caught me! What took you so long?" he asked with a smile.

Dammit, this was not the time to get star struck. "It just never clicked." Not the worst thing I could've said.

"Fair enough. Go whenever you're ready."

I gathered myself then read Aggron's body language. He was eager to throw down against a Pokémon that was clearly stronger than him unlike the Typhlosion that Flannery's grandfather had. Maybe he had more confidence this time around. A nod to me gave me the confidence to go forward.

"Aggron, Double-Edge!"

"Raw power against raw power? I'll take it. Dragon Rush!"

Salamence had a blue aura surround it before rushing to meet Aggron. The two butted heads with neither side giving an inch. When something gave, Aggron was the one who got pushed back. His natural physical defense limited the damage.

"Go for Iron Tail!" He jumped up then swung a glowing tail only to miss horribly after the dragon flew to the side.

"Crunch!"

With my partner off balance, he couldn't spin around fast enough to smack his opponent. To my surprise, Salamence bit the still glowing tail. It was crazy seeing it cause Aggron so much pain. Shaking it off took some time.

"Follow up with Zen Headbutt!" Drake yelled as a gust of wind came through.

"Iron Head!"

Their second connection wasn't a stalemate; Aggron flew backwards. Rock Head for the ability, Iron Head for the attack… didn't mean a thing. It wasn't as bad as when Seven's Slaking used Hammer Arm in our battle at Lostelle's, but it was unsettling to see a large Pokémon being thrown like a ragdoll. I was surprised to see him get back up.

"I think that's enough Aggron," I called out while taking out his ball. He shook me off.

Double-Edge was quickly used without my command and was countered with Dragon Rush. I watched my partner get tossed to the ground a second time only this time it was a knockout. There was a small smile on his face. Without a word, I healed then recalled him while Salamence flew back to its trainer while rubbing its head in pain.

"Great battle! We can talk about it on the ride over if you want. Beats talking about my boring league duties in Petalburg," Drake said. I followed him to the docks with my head down once he recalled his partner.

Rough waters rocked the boat on the way out to sea although there was no risk of capsizing in the natural channel. The storm was quickly behind us once we were cruising on route 109. Neither of us spoke until Drake finished maneuvering around a few Tentacool on the surface.

"Never got your name, lad."

"Ryan."

"Oh! Are you the same Ryan that rode on Briney's ship a few weeks ago?"

That got my attention. "Yeah. He was nice enough to give me a ride to Dewford for a shot at Brawly. How did you know?"

"He called and told me that you fought two gym leaders in one day. Briney also told me you didn't care about Norman's attitude regarding newer trainers. Pretty easy to remember someone who grabs life by the horns like that."

"Knowing what I do now, I wish I hadn't done that second part. That nearly cost me my relationship with all my Pokémon. I still cared for them, but three of them hated me and one wasn't sure whether to forgive me or hate me."

Drake looked over at me. "Has your relationship with them improved since then?"

"Only because I took them to the hot springs before battling Flannery. I should've forfeited when I saw that Aggron's strongest attack didn't hurt Salamence." He gradually stopped the boat and sat next to me.

"Everyone walks a fine line with Pokémon. We want what's best for them, but sometimes it's hard to understand  _they_ want to push their limits."

For all the preaching I did about knowing limits, Drake's words took some time to soak in. It probably would've been frustrating to Aggron that I denied him a chance to see how well he stood up to Salamence. The only way to guarantee a battle with any Elite Four member was to win the Hoenn League; we could never have the opportunity to battle Drake again in our lifetimes.

"I'm trying to be a smart trainer and stay out of scenarios I don't have a chance at winning."

Drake slowly nodded then took a deep breath. "Ryan, there might be times when running away isn't an option. If you continue to care for your Pokémon, they'll battle for you when you need them most."

His words of encouragement caused me to zone out. Going after Latias was a huge risk that seemed likely to fail no matter how I looked at it. Ardos had stronger Pokémon, more manpower, the schematics of wherever she was being kept, and technology that I couldn't understand. I couldn't go against all of that by myself.

"Ryan! Are you alright?" Drake asked while snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Yeah." He went back to the wheel while I looked out the window into the setting sun. "How far have we travelled?"

"About a quarter of the way there. We could be halfway there by nighttime. Hope you don't mind sleeping across the seats or on the cot."

I held up some Pokémon food. "Can my Pokémon eat first?"

"Feed 'em on the deck and I'll go slower."

The area was big enough to hold my team except for Aggron. I didn't want to risk losing any bowls, so I fed Linoone and Altaria by hand; Magneton sucked the portable charger dry. Calling out Aggron was too risky seeing as him taking one step could cause the boat to capsize. Altaria was the only one I left out because she wanted to fly beside the boat.

Our trip continued until dusk faded into total darkness. Drake had the capability to go all night on his own; he told me he wasn't risking anything with me on board. I used that same logic to let him sleep on his cot. Getting comfortable on the seats took some time and Altaria volunteered to be my pillow. How she managed to hurt another Pokémon with Fly was beyond me.

Going slightly airborne from a strong wave was the only reason I woke up the next morning. The force caused me to bounce off the seats along with Altaria. I thought we were in trouble until I saw Drake at the controls.

"Choppy waters aren't fun for me either," he said while cracking his neck. "You've been asleep all morning. We're now half an hour from the docks."

"Oh… okay. When did you wake up?"

He laughed. "Crack of dawn. Old habits die hard. Now let me ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"How did you convince Altaria to be a pillow? Haven't seen that before… and I have one." I looked at her then back at him.

"My Pokédex says she has a quirky nature. She's done some things on our journey that I don't think most Pokémon would do. Just don't get on her bad side." He nodded then went back to focusing on navigating the edge of route 124 and Lilycove.

Seeing the massive cargo ships and bustling environment kind of reminded me of home. Workers yelling across the way or swearing at each other was also a nice touch. I paid Drake his 3,000P then recalled Altaria before exiting the harbor.

I took my time walking to the Pokémon Center to get in some sightseeing. Lilycove's contest hall had the aura Lostelle's had considering the star coordinators preferred to perform there; I didn't feel comfortable sticking around. Unfortunately for me, it could be seen from almost anywhere in the city. A safe spot was the Pokémon Center lobby.

"Nurse Joy, can you please heal my team?" I asked before I reached the counter. A trainer came up next to me as I took out my Poké Balls.

"You want a shot at some money first? How's 5,000 sound?"

"Maybe after my team is healed. Not really feeling it."

"No. I'm talking about right now."

Nurse Joy folded her arms. "I'm going to have to ask you to stop."

They were visibly upset. "Aw come on! He didn't even give me a final answer."

"Here's my final answer: no," I bluntly replied. "Now can you fuck off?"

She looked at me. "And you need to watch your language." I rolled my eyes when she turned her back.

The trainer kept nudging me in an attempt to change my mind. Elbows to the side became too annoying to ignore so I used my hand as another layer; the temptation to shove him away was there. I immediately walked out after I got my team back. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene within my first few hours of arriving.

* * *

With nearly a week to kill before the funeral, I treated my time in Lilycove like a vacation. Six days flew by with all the activities to do in the city. The highlight was spending over four hours in the department store stocking up. I bought a larger and more ergonomic backpack to help hold my other purchases; the old one was donated to the Pokémon Center.

Aside from better clothes and specialty food for the road, I picked up a Thunder TM disc for 30,000P. Magneton was more than happy to forget Spark to learn the stronger move. Aggron could've learned it, but his moves fit him well. Same went for Linoone.

Fishing for a water type was the lowlight. Renting rods by the lighthouse was a good deal except I didn't know how to fish. A local took pity on me and showed me the basics after I nearly threw my rod in the ocean out of frustration. Hauling in a Pokémon wasn't much better.

Wailmer were too heavy, the Magikarp weren't that strong, a Staryu used Camouflage during the middle of a battle before hopping back in the water, and Tentacool kept slipping off the hook before I could get it on land. Going back on a different day yielded the same results even though I tried to battle them in the water first. I even tried chucking Poké Balls at first sight only for them to break out.

The rest of my time was divided between sightseeing, going to the art gallery, watching contests, and the occasional battle. Most trainers who wanted to battle were stronger or had more badges than me, so I initiated the betting on a few occasions; ended up with a net profit of 300P. My earnings helped pay for a ferry ticket to Mount Pyre after I checked out of the hotel.

Most of the passengers were older and dressed up in formal wear with a few trainers sprinkled in; I was the only trainer heading to the funeral. There were signs around the base guiding everyone seeing as the older people looked lost. I thought he would have a grave plot on the second floor, but the signs kept pointing to the cloudy summit.

Fog covered the area for a few minutes before a string burst of wind sliced through it. We were escorted to a patch of grass tucked away on the right side. Ellis' most recent picture was on a large easel next to the open casket. Chairs and bodies were packed to the brim with some people opting to wear lab coats instead of dresses or suits; there were maybe five trainers based on clothing choice. A man with a funeral director nametag took the podium after employees blocked the opening.

"Defog shouldn't have to be used again and we sprayed repels around the perimeter. Thank you for your patience." A younger woman took his place.

"Thank you all for coming. Doctor Ellis has requested that this be a simple funeral and as most of you know, he was a simple man. However, he asked that Nurse Joy of Fallarbor Town deliver a short eulogy."

An eerie stillness fell over the crowd as the speakers changed. They shared a quick hug at the podium before Nurse Joy pulled out her notes.

"Fallarbor Town and the surrounding mountains isn't a fancy place to live. Between the sporadic weather, size of the town, its location, and the idea of waiting for days if something wasn't in stock at the mart, it surprised me that someone would willingly adopt it as their second home. Doctor Ellis worked in Ever Grande City for years before showing up to the Pokémon Center looking to help."

A lot of his colleagues solemnly nodded. If anyone had a choice of living and working between the two locations, they'd pick Ever Grande City. She took a deep breath then found where she left off.

"When he said, 'call me if you need help,' he meant it. One trainer came in at 3:30 in the morning with their Flygon having a broken wing. I called his house by Meteor Falls… he actually picked up. It was even more surprising when he showed up in minutes. He would come into town to give free check-ups for Pokémon and advice if anyone asked. All of that and he refused to take money or gifts. The knowledge and resources he gave us over the years brought so much joy and safety to the people of Fallarbor. I can only imagine what he has done before coming to our small mountain town."

She crumpled the paper then put her head down. A sob echoed throughout the area she went back to her seat; many people started wiping their eyes. I only knew the guy for a few days and I felt a tear go down my face.

Having never gone to a funeral, the rest of it was one emotional gut punch after another. His full obituary was read by another older colleague, short stories were told by prechosen people, and his housekeepers finished up the speaking portion by thanking everyone for their time. I barely kept it together. The employees stood aside to let a few onlookers come in. Viewing the body would come before it would be lowered and was optional.

It didn't come as a surprise that everybody lined up to pay their final respects. The line moved at a reasonable pace while Jack and Rebecca stood at the end for extra support. It struck me as odd that everyone shook their head after talking to them. I waited until the last person in a suit got in line to hop in.

Doctor Ellis was dressed in a dark blue suit, tie, and pants to go with his white collared shirt. His decorated lab coat was the outermost garment. I took my time reflecting on what everyone had said until a streak of light came from my belt.

Altaria had broken out looking exhausted like the time in Dewford Town. I barely got a word out before she started wailing uncontrollably with her head against the casket. We got some weird looks from everyone except Jack and Rebecca; they looked mildly interested in what was happening. It took me awhile to connect the dots.

"Oh Altaria… come here," I whispered while kneeling. She buried her head in my chest then tried to hug me in front of everyone. I rubbed her back after picking her up. "It's okay girl… it's okay."

Rebecca knelt down next to us. "We can talk after everyone leaves if you want," she said in a gentle tone.

"Sure." The remaining trainers paid their respects before the casket was slowly lowered into the ground.

Most people left immediately after the ceremony concluded but a few stayed back in groups. I sat in a chair comforting Altaria as the housekeepers continued talking to Ellis' colleagues. Regret was the thing I felt more than sadness as time went on. I didn't have the guts to tell him anything about the Eon duo. The other five trainers stuck around as well.

"We appreciate you all for taking time out of your journeys to come here. I'll cut to the chase," Jack started. "Doctor Ellis made a trust and there's a provision that we offer his house to anyone who showed up to his funeral before putting it on the market. Is anyone interested?"

We all raised our hands because what trainer want to own a huge mansion? He took out a sheet of paper.

"Understood. We'll go over the details at the house. The paper is your ticket to ride the charter boat waiting at the base of the mountain; consider it a small token of appreciation. We leave in two hours." The other four trainers made their way to the stairs after Jack left.

I tried to guess every variable that came with trying to get the house. Besides being out in the middle of nowhere, what else was there to consider? There had to be a catch.

"Jack already give you the talk?" It was Rebecca. Altaria turned around then walked over to her to be pet. "Glad to see both of you are doing okay."

"Better than last time we met."

She let Altaria walk back to me. "He boosted her confidence during a tough rehab period and wanted her to go to a good trainer. Every time someone turned down his offer, she would cry in the corner and he'd hold her until she fell asleep."

One more emotional gut punch. "You think she'll be okay when we get there?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. She knows everything now so at least she won't be caught off-guard. It was tough on us when we found out too." Altaria started to fall asleep and I recalled her.

"You both have my condolences. Sorry I didn't bring anything or dress up."

Rebecca bowed. "Your presence was enough. If you'll excuse me, I have to finish up here. Relax on the ride over."

I looked over at the grave plot one last time before heading down the mountain. My head stayed down the entire time and I didn't respond to anyone. There was only one thing on my mind as I waited for the boat.

Keep fighting.

 


	21. Power Plays

A large boat with two captains came to pick our party of five up shortly after people came down from the funeral and left once the two-hour grace period was up. Everyone took advantage of the nice weather by sitting by the bow while I took a nap below deck to start.

Our journey was more about length than difficulty. We had to head south out of Mount Pyre, east to route 124, then went north of Lilycove, and kept going west until docking at a small area north of Fallarbor Town. The pit stop after a few days was for fuel and to feed our Pokémon before continuing west to the edge of Meteor Falls. Jack and Rebecca were waiting on the edge of the shoreline.

"Hope you folks had a good ride. Grab your things and those two will take over," a captain said. We were individually greeted before being led over to the entrance of the falls.

Rebecca stepped forward. "Now that you all are closer to the house, we have two options. Either we can fly you or you can fly behind us."

"What about walking?" a trainer asked.

"That would take too long and we don't want to be liable if anyone got injured or lost trying to get to the house. So, who wants to do what?"

One person offered their Skarmory to ride on to spread the weight around. Another two trainers took the offer making a four to three split. It was a nice gesture, but I would have thought a Salamence could easily fly with seven adults.

"Follow us! Flygon, come on out!" Jack ordered.

No Salamence? Maybe it was still heartbroken or maybe it was passed down to family. Then again, wouldn't the house be passed down to family first? Even before the two caretakers? I almost backed out because I couldn't add everything up.

"This isn't going be dangerous, right?" I asked while walking up to the hybrid ground and dragon type.

Jack shook his head. "Oh no. This will be a short and smooth ride."

I reluctantly hopped on and got in a comfortable position. Everyone gently put their hands on its side while I did my best to dig in; it didn't seem to notice. The flight was as advertised based on the lack of turbulence although I had my eyes closed the entire time. My legs were wobbly on the dismount and while walking up to the front door.

"Lunch is in the dining room so feel free to help yourself. After an hour, we'll go over everything. We'll be upstairs if you need anything."

For a mansion that was being offered to everyone who went to the funeral, we were the only five people there. It felt like we were being set up for something. Assorted sub platters and sides took up a quarter of the large dining room table along with drinks ranging from water to alcohol. Generic Pokémon food bags were also against the wall. I relaxed a little after having the first decent meal in a long time.

We started out quiet then eventually shared our experiences on the road. I kept my stories limited to the funny mishaps like trying to fish or how I let an army of Shroomish ran me out of Petalburg woods. In terms of badge count, I was tied for third. Getting Mauville's badge would've put me in a tie for second and would've added a little more respect to my name.

The Pokémon preferred to stay in their own groups while eating. Altaria was depressed based on her body language and how much was left in her food bowl. It got worse when she went into the corner and stared at it. Linoone tried to snap her out of it only to be brushed aside; Aggron didn't fare much better. Magneton kept its distance when she became agitated. Someone finally noticed.

"Is your Altaria okay?"

"She has a quirky nature. Probably a little nervous," I quickly replied. She quickly walked over to me then tapped the center of her Poké Ball. I had the entire room's attention after she was sucked in. "Okay… really nervous." The two assistants came back down with another woman in formal attire.

"It's time to get down to business. Doctor Ellis' lawyer will explain the part of the will that brought you here," Jack said. The lawyer turned to a copy that was covered in highlighter.

"Each one of you will have the opportunity to battle for this house. However, you will not be battling one another. Jack or Rebecca will be your opponent. If two or more people win, then we will have a discussion. Any questions?"

I couldn't hold back anymore. "What's the catch?"

The lawyer casually flipped to another page. "I can't tell you every term until the battles have concluded as per the will, but I can tell you that this is not a free giveaway. Doctor Ellis mentioned that if you can't beat his assistants, you don't deserve the house. If nobody wants the house or wins, it goes on the open market."

"Can I see that?" She pointed out the line to me and I was pleasantly surprised.

The trainer with three badges raised his hand and disqualified himself from participating. His Pokémon weren't strong enough to beat any of ours in a single battle, let alone the ones metaphorically guarding the house. The funeral visit was returning the favor for the doctor making a house call a few years ago. I felt bad that he came all this way to leave empty-handed. At least he could stay until we were done.

"Each of you will draw straws to decide the order. Numbers near the bottom will be covered up," the lawyer said. For better or worse, I drew the number three.

Jack escorted everyone to the living room. "You will relax here until your number is called. One of us will guide you out the back door and down to the battle area. Now let's start with number one."

Time seemed to drag on as the rest of us waited for our turn. Watching television was a good distraction, but we kept wondering how the first battle went. Rebecca eventually came back to call the next person with a stoic expression and without the first challenger; they weren't going to give us any clues as to what happened.

I used the second break to come up with a strategy for Salamence. While it was a strong Pokémon overall, it couldn't have been like the one Drake used. Rock Slide wouldn't have touched Drake's partner, so I felt comfortable relying on brute strength. Deep down, I banked on Ellis' being slower or more defensive oriented so Aggron could match up better. Taking down Flygon would have to be in the moment.

"Number three, please follow me," Jack said when he walked into the room.

The walk to the field was a nostalgia trip to say the least. A few small Pokémon were in the sun room with bandages, the couch was in the same spot, and the mountain view still looked wonderful. Flygon took us from the balcony to the rocky makeshift field area where the lawyer was acting as the referee. The previous two trainers and the dropout were sitting on a bench on the sideline next to what looked like a portable healing machine.

"State your name," she ordered.

"Ryan."

"Okay! Ryan, you may use as many Pokémon as you want. As for the battle conditions, Rebecca will be using four Pokémon. Both trainers must keep their partners within the lines on the ground of this league regulation sized field; I will make the final decisions on boundary calls. Substitutions are avaible for both sides. Any other questions?"

At least I knew knocking a Pokémon out of bounds was a viable option. It wasn't going to be like the battle against Brawly where either side could use the surrounding area.

"Nope."

The lawyer pointed a Great Ball at Flygon. "Good job! Take a break."

My heart skipped a beat seeing that. What other three Pokémon did they have!? Did they rent some? The lawyer pointed to Rebecca to start.

"Salamence, let's go!" Fuck me… she's leading with it.

"Aggron, you're up!"

His loss against Drake didn't seem to affect his confidence. A loud roar from the hybrid dragon and flying type made Aggron take a step back before he took his traditional battle stance.

"Ryan, you have the first move whenever you're ready. It'll be like that for the whole battle."

Music to my ears. "We'll start off with Rock Slide!"

"Flamethrower!"

It was disappointing that Salamence dodged the rocks, but it was noticeably slower than Drake's. Flamethrower kept a few rocks at bay although most of the attack didn't reach Aggron. I could afford to play around a little.

"Stomp on the ground then throw rocks up!"

"Fly up and use Dragon Claw!"

The rocks aimed at its stomach were easily sliced while the ones near its neck took more effort to dodge. Its stubby claws couldn't reach by its face without other body movement and I eventually scored a hit.

"Dive back in with Fly!"

A faint glowing surrounded its body as it corkscrewed in. Aggron moved to the side, but the attack wouldn't have done much anyway. Salamence looped around for another one and missed again. It took some time to realize the attack wasn't for damage, but for forcing Aggron to the edge of the right sideline.

"Close in with Dragon Claw!"

"Rush it with Iron Head!"

Rebecca was a little surprised I was risking a direct hit, but the physical differences were in Aggron's favor. His two horns hit the underbelly first causing Dragon Claw to lose a lot of power. The force caused Salamence to float out of bounds and allow my Pokémon to get closer to the middle of the field.

"That's a ring out baby! Good job Aggron!" I cheered while Salamence was hovering and regaining its senses.

The lawyer shook her head. "I said that you have to keep your Pokémon within the lines  _on the ground_."

I thought about complaining until I figured out why that made sense. There wasn't a way to accurately determine what the boundaries were in the air; even referees at the highest level needed help with those calls. Also, that rule allowed flying types to thrive in an open space. Doctor Ellis wanted to at least give his Pokémon a chance while allowing trainers to exploit a rule rarely used in official league battles.

"Aggron, return! Linoone, you're up!"

I didn't trust Rock Slide to be accurate from a long distance away and there were no other moves I could use without him stepping out. He also could use a breather.

"Salamence, Crunch!" Big mistake. I let it come closer before responding.

"Okay buddy, Sand Attack!"

Linoone dug his claws in the ground then hurled two piles at the incoming Pokémon. One landed in its mouth causing the attack to stop along with an emergency landing by midfield. The other one landed in its eyes. Salamence roared in frustration as it lowered its head by its leg to wipe as much out as it could.

"Take advantage and use Slash!" He took a swipe at the dragon's lower neck and chest area; didn't look like it had an impact in the grand scheme of things.

Rebecca nearly panicked but managed to keep calm enough to make a rational decision. "Return! Go Breloom!"

"I'm not fucking with that thing. Altaria, swap for Linoone!"

She still looked a little down in the dumps despite being on the field. Both Pokémon stared at each other blankly. Her posture worsened as her chin moved to the ground and her wings were spread out.

"It's okay Altaria! You can do this!" I encouraged. She looked back at me before slowly standing up straight. "Atta girl! Use Fly!"

Her movements weren't as sharp compared to previous battles. It was almost as if she was reluctant to attack. Rebecca didn't notice the difference.

"Sky Uppercut!"

Breloom crouched down then sprung up to punch Altaria right on the chin. Even from my angle, it looked like it was also holding back. Fly eventually connected for a huge hit that sent the grass fighter back to the ground. One more hit was all I needed.

"Dragon Breath!"

Altria landed right next to it but started to cry as if attacking would be a bad thing. Rebecca folded her arms and sighed. Breloom pulled itself up then started talking to my Pokémon. Their conversation was occasionally interrupted by a loud shriek from her followed by a Breloom hug. I wasn't sure whether to recall her or let it play out until they started walking to the sideline.

"What… are… they… doing?" I asked with total confusion.

"Give it a second," Rebecca replied.

The right wing of Altaria was gently grabbed by Breloom's left hand. After what seemed to be a three count from Rebecca's Pokémon, they jumped over the line at the same time.

Both flags went up. "Both Pokémon have been disqualified!"

Part of me was mad on multiple fronts. We still had an equal amount of Pokémon left, Altria was in good enough shape to battle later, and I could've recalled her after putting Breloom on the ground. The other part of me, the one I felt more, felt bad for her. I didn't know what to do. Linoone took his problems out during battles when I was growing up, but it was clear that didn't apply to every Pokémon.

We stopped the battle to let them work it out by the bench. It took a few more minutes before everything seemed to be sorted out. I thought about going over until she quickly flew back to me; the force she hit me with knocked me on my back. She went back to burying her head in my chest and sobbing.

"There there… it's okay. I'm sorry that I made you battle so soon," I cooed while scratching her head. "Why don't you take a nice, long break? How does that sound?" She let herself back into her Poké Ball. On the other side, Breloom was also emotionally worn out.

"You want a minute to recover?" Rebecca nervously asked.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

Everyone still took some time to make sense of what had just happened. There wasn't much planning I could do seeing as two Pokémon hadn't been called out. I let my mind wander until Rebecca reached for her pocket.

"Delcatty, I chose you!"

What the species lacked in strength was made up for in randomness and luck. Normal types in general could learn almost any TM and the move Assist was Delcatty's staple. I was surprised Lostelle's never used one in their logo or some advertising pun.

"Linoone, here we go again!" The Prim Pokémon strutted around trying to lower Linoone's guard. "Covet!"

"You too Delcatty!"

It was funny watching them try to charm one another before the claws started to fly. Both Pokémon made a point of pulling at each other's fur to steal an item; they came up empty handed.

"Assist!"

A glow on its front right paw grew then suddenly vanished. It somehow got behind Linoone to deliver a quick jab to its side. The impact had it skidding close to the left sideline.

"Do not cross that line!" I yelled with a lot of fear in my voice. He responded by digging his claws in to stop the momentum.

Rebecca genuinely clapped. "Quick thinking! I thought Mach Punch would've done the trick. Can you handle another Assist?"

"Hurry up and use Pin Missile to break their concentration!"

Only two separate rounds were fired which was more like an inconvenience than solid damage. The light show from Assist came and went except the glow covered Delcatty's entire body. Its body moved in some kind of rhythm before the claws were unsheathed. I was starting to get nervous.

"You mind telling me what that was?"

My opponent smiled. "Swords Dance of course!"

Not good. "Go in with Slash!"

"Covet!"

The power boost made Delcatty more aggressive while clawing at Linoone. Still, it wasn't strong or fast enough to get a knockout. My partner scored the victory then strutted away to mock his opponent.

"Delcatty is unable to battle! Rebecca, please make your next choice."

Pressure was mounting yet the housekeeper remained calm. It wouldn't surprise me if she at least won eight badges back during her trainer days. The only problem is using three Pokémon for the duration of a journey would be insane. She carefully considered the last two options.

"Salamence is ready!" Its angry demeanor made Linoone cower.

"As much as I want to use Sand Attack again, I think a switch would be better. Magneton, you're in!" I was guaranteed to get off at least one attack. "Thunder!"

"Flamethrower!"

Electricity was shot out of its body into the sky faster than any Spark attack. Unfortunately, Salamence got off a strong Flamethrower first. It was obvious that Sturdy kept it from immediately fainting, but it stuck around long enough for the pillar of lightning to strike. My heart sunk when the large dragon shook it off so easily.

"Powerful attack, but not powerful enough. Dragon Claw!"

"Use Thunder again!"

Magneton started to charge up only to collapse on its back. A large scorch mark on its lower left front side did it in; I was surprised it didn't immediately faint from the residual burn damage.

"Magneton is unable to battle! Ryan, choose your next Pokémon."

Honestly, I'd rather have my back to the wall with Aggron instead of Linoone. My best hope was to somehow weaken Salamence then figure it out from there.

"I choose Linoone!" No cowering this time round. "Pin Missile!"

"Burn the needles with Flamethrower!"

I had to get her Pokémon moving. "Work your way around the field and keep firing!"

Not a single pin connected, but my strategy was working. I eventually got Salamence in the air to the point where Flamethrower lost a lot of power before reaching the ground. It didn't matter that my attack couldn't reach. Rebecca knew she had to take a risk.

"Use Fly!" It came down without building up extra speed. I also had to take a risk when it got close enough.

"Grab on and use Slash!"

Linoone took the initial hit when Salamence's head rammed into his before the grab happened. He scattered down his neck to his back where he held on for dear life. The large Pokémon flew around trying to throw him off yet couldn't do it fast enough. I saw the front right claw dig in which was followed by a painful roar. After that, Linoone was hurled toward the ground.

I quickly took out his ball. "Return!" He was sucked in well before hitting the ground, but it was obvious that he would've landed out.

"Judgment call in favor of Rebecca! Linoone has been disqualified!" the lawyer stated. "Send out your next choice."

The other trainers shook their heads is frustration as if it had happened to them. At least the sideline rule got Breloom out of the battle even if Altaria went out with it. It also occurred to me that I never stated how many Pokémon I had. I couldn't afford to sound panicked for the rest of the battle.

"Aggron, I choose you!"

Despite not looking exhausted, Salamence had taken a beating. I expected it to fly around waiting to attack as opposed to quickly firing off Flamethrowers. At this stage in the battle, raw strength could go either way.

"Rock Slide!"

"Take to the air and wait!"

"Give it just a little more power!"

Aggron stomped the ground harder than I had seen before. Larger rocks couldn't reach his opponent in time, but it was the medium-sized ones hit around its legs; there was some obvious discomfort. Smaller rocks came back down and caught the dragon type by surprise.

"Flamethrower!"

Relying on Rock Slide to produce a makeshift shield was too risky. "Double-Edge to the other side of the field!"

Extra speed from using the move helped dodge the brunt of the attack. He made sure to stop short of the end line by Rebecca. The maneuver was like hopping from the frying pan to the fire.

"Swoop by it with a little extra!" She was going to use the wind rush to force him out.

"You sure you want to do that? Iron Head!" Not only did it charge ahead, small flames escaped from its mouth. "Watch out!"

A slight turn of the head allowed Flamethrower to come out freely. My partner made one hell of a decision to run into the flames for a boosted attack. Salamence essentially got clotheslined by a flaming Iron Head and dropped to the ground immediately. Momentum from Aggron forced him to roll around in the dirt; it put the small fire on his head out. The best part was that her Pokémon was inside the lines.

"Salamence is unable to battle! Rebecca, make your last choice."

It was clear how winded Aggron was, yet he had a huge smile on his face. He licked his lips at the thrill of another round after being at his limit. I wasn't sure whether to be more worried or happy. Drake wasn't kidding when he said some Pokémon like to push themselves.

"Hope you're ready for what I have left!" she exclaimed. I nearly jumped at the sound of her not being formal. "Absol, let's go!"

Her last line of defense was the polar opposite of what was on the field. Something fragile that could pack a punch while running circles around the field versus a slow durable wall that had a lot of raw power. My only viable option was to let Absol come to Aggron.

"Ryan, I think I know what you'll do," Rebecca started. "So how much do you trust your Pokémon? Absol, Swords Dance!"

Oh no. No no no. The worst part was that I couldn't realistically do a thing about it. Why bother tiring out Aggron even more by chasing Absol? I didn't order a command.

"Keep using Swords Dance until you're all powered up! Then go for Night Slash!"

I folded my arms and took a deep breath. "When Absol comes, use whatever attack you want. I trust you Aggron."

Uneasiness descended over the field as the two heavyweights stood on opposite ends. Neither Pokémon moved for minutes and Rebecca didn't look like she was going to call out an order. Playing it cool started to become harder to do. My breaths became more frequent as the stress mounted. When Absol felt the time was right, it sprinted forward with a claw covered in pure darkness.

Aggron pounded his tail on the ground as many times as he could to get loose. Glowing indicated Iron Tail was its choice as the dark type closed in. He waited too long and took a massive hit before pivoting around. The impact of his steel tail caused Absol to lifelessly skid across the ground. Not only was it out cold, but it ended up behind Rebecca's trainer box for some salt in the wound. I dropped to my knees then on my back with my arms outstretched.

"Good shit Aggron… good shit," I mumbled in relief.

"Battle over! Ryan is the winner!" the lawyer said while running over to me. "Take a seat and we'll talk after the last challenger is finished. Congratulations," she whispered.

Rebecca was gracious in defeat, even after swapping out so Jack could battle the last trainer. After she healed her team, she took a seat on the other empty bench. A look of concern was on her face for the entire duration of Jack's battle; he used the same Pokémon as Rebecca.

"Thank you all once again for showing up. If you would like to make travel arrangements, please see Jack. Rebecca and I need will walk our two winners back to the house," the lawyer said. I was surprised someone else pulled out a victory.

Our walk back had some tension. Everyone wanted to be happy, but there was the harsh reality of another potential battle on the horizon. We were brought back to the dining room table and handed a contract.

"Now let's get down to brass tacks. The first thing is the cost of the entire estate. After factoring in location, upkeep, acreage, estimates from real estate agents, and taxes, this would be going on the market for a starting price of 550,000P."

The other trainer's jaw dropped. "Holy shit! Why the  _fuck_ would this be offered to trainers who showed up to his funeral? We don't make that kind of money!"

"Just a starting price. There's room for negotiation," she assured us. "As early buyers, you will be expected to help others. Mostly in Fallarbor Town since you're close. Helping at the Pokémon Center would be ideal seeing as neither of you have any formal medical training."

Both those conditions put a lot of pressure on us as trainers. The silver lining was that it sounded like it was possible to own the place and still travel. We would need to come back every so often for community service.

"Does anything change if we decline the offer but then buy it on the open market?" I asked.

"Yes. All the provisions with the early purchase go away and it becomes like buying any other house. None of his colleagues took his initial offer because it would cause them a lot of headaches."

I had a feeling that the place would be sold in a short amount of time. It could easily be used as a vacation home or a place to live in retirement like how Ellis used it.

"May I have more time to look over the contract?"

"Of course." She turned to the other trainer. "You may have more time as well. Find a place around the house and come back here when you have made your decision." I went to a guest room.

Getting the estate had significant positives. Having a place to recharge, train within a large area, and lay low from Ardos were the three immediate ones I could think of. Its location allowed for privacy while also allowing me to gain trust with the townspeople over time. I didn't want to get them involved, but it would help to have people like me.

The negatives were also extreme. I had the money, but it was going to be expensive. Explaining everything to my family was going to have to happen at some point too. Getting eight badges would probably take longer or even roll over into next year. What about Altaria's feelings? How would she react to living here with me? Travelling around with a trainer was what she wanted the most. I reread the contract until I felt comfortable going back down.

Doctor Ellis' lawyer was the only person at the table typing away on a laptop. Every light in the house was off except the dining room one. She pulled out a briefcase after I sat down next to her.

"Where's the other trainer?"

"Left about an hour ago without buying. You're the only one left."

I took a deep breath. "Let's negotiate a price."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I think 550,000P is a lot for someone willing to buy early  _and_ with some conditions. How about 450,000?"

"Quite a drop there. What would you say to 500,000?"

"How's the commission rate looking?"

"For this house? About five percent," she bluntly replied.

I leaned back in my chair. "My mom raised a family of five on commission for a few years, so I know the fine line of the successful sale while maximizing your income."

"Knowing what you know now, do you think 500,000 is fair?"

"Still think it's too high. My offer is 475,000 all things considered." She kept a straight face; I changed the subject. "Look, I'm a trainer. Is there a chance I can help others while travelling until the Hoenn League is over for this year? I can come up with a system to prove I'm not bullshitting."

"That can be worked out later. I'm going back to the price for now. My offer of 500,000 is back on the table."

I put on the most serious face I could and composed myself. "How about 485,000 and I'll pay you right now? All of this can be taken care of tonight."

That got her attention. "No mortgage? You'll pay out of pocket for the entire thing?"

"Yes."

Now she was puzzled. "With all due respect, I find that hard to believe."

"Give me your laptop and I'll show you."

I pulled up my bank profile and she took a lap around the table in shock. My account before the big roulette win was 125,000 and my prize was 1,575,000 leaving me with a total of 1,700,000P on day one of my journey. Between the spending on items and gambling, it was down to 1,500,000P.

To avoid the deal falling through, I called the 24/7 bank customer support line to guide me through the money transfer. I was paranoid something would go wrong or that my account had been hacked. A confirmation window eventually sealed the transaction.

"My work here is nearly done. I'll get one of them to help validate everything."

Jack was brought back to sign as a witness of the deal being completed. He had a decent amount of sweat on his forehead and looked like a nervous wreck. There was no way he could've foreseen a trainer buying the estate immediately after the funeral, let alone at all. He walked away with his head down once I had all the paperwork.

"Now that I think about it… what about Jack and Rebecca?" I whispered.

The lawyer let out a long sigh. "Doctor Ellis' will does not mention their connection with the estate. He spent a short time with me making up what you have in front of you. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay focused long enough to get much else done. The next appointment was supposed to expand on the will and then… well… he died."

"So, what do I do now?"

"You can ask them to leave on their own, go through the eviction process to force them out, or let them stay on your terms."

I thanked the lawyer on her way out then sat in the quiet dining room. The severity of the situation slowly sunk in until I rushed over to vomit in the kitchen sink. I went from being a rich trainer collecting badges to a rich trainer owning a mansion in the middle of nowhere. Not just any mansion, one that belonged to someone who had a legendary reputation that I couldn't surpass.

"Holy shit. This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy. I can't believe I did that," I mumbled to myself.

The energy I had left after the long day instantly vanished once I sat back down. I started noticing mundane things like how bad I smelled or how much dirt was on my clothes in an attempt to take my mind off what just happened; it didn't work. A shower usually set me straight, so I walked upstairs with my backpack. Every guest room door was slightly cracked open down the long hallway creating a little bit of an eerie feeling. Sniffling came from one to which I responded by poking my head in.

It was decorated more than the others and had Rebecca sitting on her bed with her back to me and her head in her hands. A suitcase haphazardly filled with as many clothes and trinkets as possible was on one side with Jack on the other. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and occasionally rubbed her back.

"You were strong during the funeral. You stayed strong today. Let it out now," Jack cooed. Rebecca let out a loud wail as he stroked her hair then calmed down.

"Would it have been selfish to ask him about putting us in during that visit? I was the one in the room with them!"

He went back to rubbing her shoulder. "Doctor Ellis wasn't feeling well that day and didn't make it to the next appointment. It's not your fault, not his fault, not the lawyer's fault, nobody's fault. Everything happened so quickly. We'll find a way to survive… we always did."

"But that was before we found a stable life. And what about our Pokémon? They know what's going on and I don't think any number of hugs or words will make them happy again. This is their home too."

She continued to weep as Jack tried to convince her everything would be okay. He ran through some of their best memories and how their Pokémon would be able to help them out. Every attempted failed to get her to see a sliver of hope. It was disheartening to gradually hear him stop talking.

I softly knocked on the door. "May I come in?" Their heads instantly turned.

"Master! I'm sorry for my appearance. How may we help you?" Rebecca managed to get out in a shaky voice. I felt more uncomfortable and hoped they assumed I hadn't listened in on their conversation.

"Please don't call me that. Just call me Ryan."

"Of course," they replied while standing up; a bow followed.

The formalities might have been standard for the doctor, but it was just too weird for me. Going from having to fight in every sense of the word to being shown respect without question was going to take some time to adjust to. I wasn't sure if I could convince them to stop after they had been doing it for years. The cherry on top was that they were at least a decade older than me.

"Yeah… anyway, it's been a long day. I assume you're exhausted?"

"More mentally than physically to be honest. Same for our Pokémon who had to battle," Jack replied. "But we're happy to help with anything you need."

"Come to think of it, I can think of something."

They looked at each other then back to me. "What would you like to be done?"

"See that suitcase on the bed? Unpack it. You guys are staying here," I said with a soft smile.

Rebecca dropped to her knees, put her hand over her mouth, and the tears started to flow again. "Thank… you," she squeaked. Jack dropped the stoic persona and wiped his eyes.

"I also want you two to relax tomorrow. Sleep in as late as you want too. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for bed."

Curiosity got the better of me and I stayed outside the room to peek in. Rebecca rushed to put everything away while Jack paced around the room. They eventually sat on the bed facing out the window. A few loud sobs came from Rebecca again as she buried her head in her pillow; Jack put his head in his hands and sniveled. Neither of them said a word after they calmed down.

One of the craziest days of my life had finally come to an end.


	22. Messengers

Hot water from the showerhead never felt better as I felt all the sweat and dirt wash away. For more relaxation, I sat down with my arms on the edges letting the water gently massage me. I called it quits after the water pressure dipped; pretty sure they needed to get cleaned up as much as I did.

Doctor Ellis' room was very tempting to sleep in considering it had a lot of cool features. A king-sized bed, large flat screen television, full bathroom that was also large, a large sliding door leading to a balcony like a hotel, and then standard furniture associated with a bedroom. The bed had a remote control that could warm it up while also changing the angle in case I wanted to watch television. I wasn't comfortable the more I thought about it.

I chose to sleep in the room where Latias carried me the night I was saved. It still had the cozy feeling from last time despite missing the Eon Pokémon. Between the howling wind outside, warmth of the sheets, and the lack of energy I had, I fell asleep almost instantly. A headache started to come on but quickly faded.

The overcast morning allowed me to sleep in until 10:30 which was welcomed after riding on a boat for the past few days. Both housekeepers had listened to me because they weren't downstairs. All the Pokémon from yesterday were gone as well. I made myself a huge breakfast then called out Linoone and Magneton first.

"Eat as much as you want. We're going to take it easy today."

Magneton carefully attached itself to an outlet before enjoying the surge of electricity. Linoone scarfed down three bowls before playfully falling on its back. Safe to say I was thankful for the leftover bags of Pokémon food from yesterday's competition.

"You guys can go exploring but you have to be quiet." I placed Aggron's ball on the ground when I let him out. The place was sturdier than my apartment, but I didn't want to have him materialize in midair. "Get some food until you're full." He ate five bowls worth of food then sat against the wall happily rubbing his stomach.

I wondered if any of them figured out that the place was ours or if they saw it as a rest house. Having more space to run around was the biggest change they could look forward to. Getting Altaria to accept the move was going to take some time. If it didn't work out, I would have to make some tough choices. I let her out to eat.

"Here we go! Time for breakfast!"

Her body language started out neutral but that didn't last long. She became lethargic and stayed that way while eating. One bowl was enough before she went to sit by the corner facing the wall. Aggron became concerned when she waddled closer to the wall.

For what it was worth, she handled herself much better than yesterday. No crying or even sniveling… just a presumably cold stare. Aggron walked over and started to gently pet the top of her head; one tap, he pulled away, and then slowly set a pace even though she wasn't reacting. Seeing his soft side again brought a smile to my face.

Neither Pokémon made a sound until Altaria took a deep breath. She rubbed her head against Aggron's chest in response to the petting; it was more of a "thank you" rub at first but it slowly turned into an affectionate one. The attention soon turned to me.

I didn't know what to say for all that had happened in the past week. She climbed onto my lap for more petting except her wings got more attention. The serene humming from when we first met returned by the time she hopped off. Her sadness had been somewhat replaced with acceptance that the one who raised her wasn't coming back.

"You did good. Want more food?" Altaria dragged her bowl over next to me. "Don't be shy about portion size. Today's a day off."

The rest of the morning was the laziest I had been in months. I channel surfed in the living room to kill some time. A news report came on about how effective Devon Corporation's Pokémon beta model medical collars were and when they would be used at the Pokémon Services facility. I nearly spit out my water when a reporter and Jen were in the studio.

" _Jen, tell us a little bit about how this will work."_

" _You know how some people like to wear bracelets that track their body functions while exercising? It's like that only for Pokémon. It'll allow us to keep track of out patients in real time and see if it's the right time to work harder on or scale back rehabilitation exercises."_

" _See here's the thing… they're thin collars. They also don't look that comfortable,"_ the reporter immediately fired back.

" _Technically they are, but they fit like a necklace. It'll stay on but will be very comfortable. Let me show you."_ Her Rhydon was brought out wearing it along with a laptop. _"Once we see how those work, then we'll focus on making other types like anklets or bracelets. Rhydon, do a tiny jump for us."_

After the jump, she showed the chart to the reporter then a graphic came up on the screen. It showed results from things like force generated and heart rate. I could see how useful that would be for someone like Maddie who cares about her job; having Jen explain everything was frustrating. That public relations spin wasn't going to work on me. I lost track of time until Jack walked in his usual formal attire.

"Good afternoon sir. Would you like something to eat?"

I felt embarrassed again. "I know it might be hard to do, but please don't give me any title."

"Sorry. Force of habit."

"Also, you can wear whatever you want. I really don't give a shit if you want to do your job in a shirt and shorts." He looked like I gave him the most confusing orders imaginable. "Where's Rebecca? I assumed she would've come down with you."

Jack sat down next to me. "Still sleeping to my knowledge. Her door was shut when I walked past it."

"Wow! She must've been more tired than I thought."

"Oh yes. The past few weeks have taken a toll on her more than me." I remembered their conversation about instability but wanted to ease my way into it.

"How did you both end up working here?"

He took a long time to respond. "Rebecca would rather speak for herself. As for me, I was born and raised in Verdanturf Town. I worked at the mart until I decided to take the league challenge. Delcatty was my only Pokémon for most of my time on the road until I stumbled across a sick Shroomish in Petalburg Woods."

"Sick? As in a fever?"

"Poison and confusion make for a deadly combination. It appeared to be poisoned from another Shroomish then somehow became confused. Under the care of a trainer, it wouldn't have been a problem. In the wild, it was stumbling around and nearly drowned after running into the lake on northern part of route 104 so I caught it. I became hysterical after running into the Rustboro Pokémon Center; nothing seemed to improve after the status ailments went away. Nurse Joy had to make a call."

"Doctor Ellis, huh… I see."

He nodded. "Call it fate that he was in Rustboro that day. I had no clue what he did, but it got me interested in medicine. He gave me his business card and told me to call at a much later date. The reason being that he wanted me to enjoy myself and he was close to retirement although still working in Ever Grande City. That day changed my outlook on Pokémon and I became more hesitant to battle, especially outside of populated areas."

"What about battling for badges?"

"Couldn't do it anymore after I won my third. The attacks being used became more severe over time. I called that number as soon as possible and we worked out a deal: help around the house in exchange for him teaching me what he knew best. He also convinced me to start battling again although risk taking isn't my style. I lived in Fallarbor Town until he offered a job and the rest is history."

Reasonable story to say the least; a decent number of my classmates weren't into battling or the trainer lifestyle. Part of me wanted to keep most of my past hidden, but a few events were too big to hide.

"Mauville was my hometown growing up. I'm the oldest of three siblings and worked as a janitor out of school. Eventually started working under Wattson as a gym trainer; was the only trainer without an electric type Pokémon or electric attack. Was let go after a few months then picked up another job. One thing led to another and that's when I met you guys for the first time. Been on a journey ever since."

Jack scratched his head. "Why didn't you go on your journey right after leaving?"

Already asking the tough questions. "To earn more money. Come to think of it, I don't think I picked up my last paycheck after I got fired from the gym."

"I thought you got let go."

I have him a confused look. "Aren't they the same?"

"Close but not exactly. Being let go implies a tough decision was made in which you had little or no say and being fired implies you did something that was against the rules at work. Which one was it?" My heart sunk; I had to be honest.

"Fired. My coworker wanted to battle my little sister for a date. Not a problem until he called her a bitch and slapped her across the face after refusing. Had to wait an extra month to get my official trainer's license too. I wish I beat the shit out him more than I did."

Relaying it back was painful. Assuming last night was my first impression, I thought I left a bad second impression. He simply nodded in reply.

"Understandable."

He was slightly shorter than me with about the same muscle mass. One clean punch from him would cause some damage. I wondered what it would look like to see him angry.

"Ryan, what about the other job?"

Didn't want to get sucked into that. "I don't want to talk about it if you don't mind."

"Of course, sir." He rubbed his head. "Sorry about that. How about saving it for serious situations? It seems to get your attention."

"I'm fine with that. Go make yourself something if you want because I already ate. I have more questions that can wait for later."

Jack let out his Delcatty and Breloom to eat after pouring a bowl of cereal. Both Pokémon were wary of mine, especially Linoone since he walked right up to them. At least he was lured away with belly rubs; he fell asleep in my lap.

There was some stirring upstairs shortly after Jack joined me on the couch. The noises were louder than footsteps which had me concerned. Rebecca came down in what I presumed was her usual uniform at 3:00 in the afternoon.

"Hey! Just being a bum today. How did you sleep?" I asked.

"To be honest, I could've slept more. Pardon me for asking, but did you mean everything you said last night?"

She was still nervous. "Of course! Jack can give you the full rundown later. Get some food and then we can talk. I've got some questions."

Her Absol was warier of my presence compared to Delcatty and Breloom. Not even talking to Altaria could lighten it up. If there wasn't a wall between the living room and the dining room or kitchen, I'm pretty sure it would've stared at me like I was a threat.

Another object seemed to fall on the floor upstairs and Rebecca requested Jack to take care of it. She sat down next to me after eating to talk; Absol obediently sat on the floor looking in our direction.

"What are your questions?"

I looked down at the dark type then back to the housekeeper. "Would you mind telling me a little about yourself?"

"Oh… okay," she quietly replied.

"You can tell me as much as you want. I'm just trying to figure out what you and Jack are like."

She leaned back. "Housekeeping is something that runs in my family. I was born and raised in Lilycove City on the shores of route 124. Parents worked at the luxurious Cove Lily Motel and I followed in their footsteps at the age of 17. Honestly, I had a good time until they underwent new management two years later. Left on my own then advertised my services for private houses."

"Doctor Ellis made a good choice in hiring you!" She squirmed a little.

"He didn't get me first. Someone from the 'pompous row' housing outside of Fallarbor Town hired me for a full-time position. I had to travel across the region with Absol like what you went through to get here from Mount Pyre. The master of the house was not a kind man."

Rebecca took her time pondering whether to continue or let it go. Absol perked up at the sight of her becoming slightly distressed and jumped in her lap. She softly scratched its chin until she decided to go on.

"I was the youngest, most inexperienced, least paid, and least respected out of four maids after the basics were covered. What was I good at? Not being good enough; nothing I did seemed to please him. The mistress was even worse because she hated Absol and let me know about it every time it was out."

"Let me guess… she thought it caused disasters?" The dark type growled as Rebecca nodded. "What a fucking moron. Absol  _warns_  you about disasters. I can't believe people out there still believe that bullshit from centuries ago."

Rebecca smiled. "Doctor Ellis almost said the same thing when I started working here. Thank you for understanding that."

"I think you know what's coming next. You don't have to answer, or you could leave some things out." She let out a sigh.

"Hard to believe I'm this comfortable talking to you. It's like Ellis is still here. Anyway, there was a large party on a cold night. The master and mistress of the house berated me in front of everyone after it came to their attention I had apparently done something wrong. Master grabbed my arm, dragged me to my room, and gave me five minutes to pack my things. Nobody tried to stop them. Everyone just stood there and let it happen." She stopped to wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

"They kicked me out when time was up even though I had roughly a quarter of my things. The one thing I forgot was an Absol plushie that my old manager made after starting at the motel. All that I could think of was packing warm clothes and anything for Absol. What I didn't think about was that a doctor and his butler cared what had happened to me.

A slightly happier tone was on the horizon. "How'd you two meet?"

"I stayed at the Pokémon Center for a few months since I was ashamed to go back home. I picked up short-term cleaning contracts around town and in other houses near my former master. There were occasional battles for cash too. Jack was in town working at the mart while also going to lessons. We met when I was buying something and told me to wait; came back with a sheet of paper full of instructions. He called it an invitation."

Pissed off didn't begin to describe how I felt. Getting fired was one thing, but to have a measly five minutes to pack a life into a suitcase? What a joke. I respected the hell out of her for keeping her composure in the heat of the moment.

"Sounds like I should pay them a visit. What were their names?"

She hung her head. "Please… they don't know I'm here. Don't worry about it."

I told her the same story I did for Jack which visibly made her relax. Absol loosened up enough to ask Linoone to play. Jack eventually came down with a weird look on his face pointing to the staircase. Rebecca calmed him down then turned to me.

"As the new owner of the estate, there is  _one_  thing that you must know about that wasn't in the contract. Follow us."

The walk up the stairs felt longer than expected. I felt uneasy as I was led down the long hallway to the doctor's bedroom. Why would they hide something from everyone trying to buy the house? His bed was squeaking in rhythm until Rebecca opened the door.

Latios was bouncing on the bed without a care in the world. It let gravity and momentum take over while it did flips. The Eon Pokémon noticed me when it was upside down with its head off the edge of the bed.

Nobody said a word as it adjusted itself to a more comfortable position. I wasn't sure if I should've been curious or terrified as it hovered over to me. We gave each other a blank stare for a few seconds; his ears perked up followed by a scowl. In an instant, I was pinned to the ground around my chest underneath an arm.

"No! Latios, it's okay!" Jack pleaded.

I struggled to break free or move its arm, but that only made it push harder. The extra effort to push down made the arm more unstable and I used that to get it off me for a split second. He showed his displeasure by picking me up with its psychic power then pinned me against the wall. I could feel a lot of pressure on my neck while he grew angrier.

" _What… are… you… doing… here!?"_

"You… can talk?" I rasped. It was technically telepathy, but I barely had enough breath to show my surprise.

" _How dare you! I have been around long enough to understand humans and speak their language."_

"Latios, please stop! He's the new owner of the house! He's not going to hurt you!" Rebecca yelled.

Her words got him to snap out of his rage and let go. I dropped to my knees gasping for as much air as I could suck in between coughs. Out of all the fights I had been in, nobody had tried to choke me or vice versa. I thought it wasn't that effective because it was hard to keep a grip on someone's neck; I was wrong. Latios hovered back to Rebecca and she rubbed his head.

"I know everything's been rough these past few weeks, but all of us are still going to be here," she cooed.

" _R-Really? What if he lied to you?"_

Amazing how it went from wanting to kill me to acting like a small child in a matter of seconds. Still, it was a valid point.

"If you doubt me so much, then read my mind. You seem to be pretty good at getting inside my head," I offered still trying to regain my strength. My team except for Aggron was outside the door wondering what had happened.

" _Only if you tell them to back off."_

I turned to my team. "Go back downstairs. We just had a little misunderstanding. Tell Aggron everything's fine too." They reluctantly left.

" _Prepare for another headache."_

The feeling of Latios getting in my head started off the same as the last three times. My natural reaction was to fight it until I remembered how to make it painless; I let my mind go blank. The reaction caught the psychic dragon off-guard as it had complete access to my thoughts. It was like I was a store owner sitting in the corner watching Latios shop.

Yesterday's events were replayed in front of us from the time I got off the boat to me going to bed. He hovered in place, staring intently at what he had missed. The focus soon shifted to earlier in the morning when I talked to the housekeepers. However, it started to look at places I didn't agree to and I put up a mental fight. Latios surprisingly backed off and brought us back to reality.

" _Looks like you intend to keep your promise to everyone in this house. What about the promise to Latias?"_

It appeared that he was only talking to me since neither housekeeper changed the expression on their face. The one thing I wanted to hide couldn't be hidden anymore. First, I needed to know why Latios would be here.

"Does Latios come and go as he pleases? Is his story the same as Latias? Do you know he can talk?"

Jack nodded. "Yes to everything."

"Now I see why that wasn't mentioned in the contract. Has Latias stopped by after she took me to town?" I asked, hoping she had escaped since the last vision.

Rebecca sat down. "No. We heard from someone in town a few days later that she had been captured with a large net."

Either they were letting me fill in the blanks or they didn't know I had a huge role in Latias' disappearance. Did Latios show them anything?

"They would be right. I fell for an obvious trap in hindsight that ultimately got her captured. I've been trying to plan a way to get her free since that day, but I don't have a damn clue where to start looking!" I yelled.

Latios looked a little relieved that I put that out in the open. Jack crossed his arms and paced around the room unsure of how to take my statement; Rebecca looked down. I could sense some disappointment as I sat on the bed, yet they gave me support.

"Do you know who did it?"

"Yes. He never revealed his real name. All I know is that he works for Pokémon Services in Mauville City and he's a strong trainer. Same for all the big players over there including their public relations person. I'm not sure if they're always on the move or staying at the office."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I think I have an idea. It'll take some time, but your information makes things easier. Rebecca can help me on this too. In the meantime, see if Latios can fill you in. Excuse us." They walked out of the room.

Pure silence filled the area as the two of us thought about how to proceed. I could feel the frustration welling up inside Latios knowing I hadn't done anything significant to help Latias since our last meeting. I wished he left with them.

" _You only know what I have chosen to show you. After revealing what you know to everyone, it is time for me to do the same to you,"_ Latios relayed with a stern tone.  _"I despise you for knowing the man who tried to capture me. I despise you for letting your Pokémon attack me. I despise the fact that you own this place. However, you are the only person that is aware of everything going on and is determined to free Latias. Get your team up here."_

I did as he asked. Linoone had a low growl going the moment he walked in the room while Altaria was too forlorn to remember their spat. Aggron had a small grin from sensing how powerful it was. Magneton acted like itself; swaying around with a carefree attitude. Even Latios was confused on how goofy it was.

"Since you can use telepathy, can I understand my Pokémon's words through you?" I was given an angry look.

" _You are not worthy of that privilege."_

He cut me out of the mental loop before having a conversation with my Pokémon. There were occasions where Linoone seemed to object to something only to back down after some extra convincing.

" _What I am about to do will put a lot of strain on your body. Each human reacts differently so I told your partners to keep you from hurting yourself. By the time it is over, you will not be able to move regardless of what you do. Time to see what Latias showed me."_

* * *

Opening my mind wasn't good enough as I still felt the pressure from how much was going to be shown. The best way to describe the experience was that Latios and I were the only two in a movie theater watching from Latias' perspective. Our bodies were covered in a glow. He started with the moment she was brought to the ground by the net.

"I can't believe you threw your freedom away for a person like him," Jon taunted while dragging her along the ground. She was too injured to fight back or even struggle.

"How do you think Mister V will react to everything?" Jen asked. Apparently, she wasn't trusted enough to know the true identity of her boss.

"Not well. Our main goal was to kill Ryan. Latias here isn't as much compensation as you think. Toss a ball at her so we don't have to drag her through Meteor Falls. Should be an easy catch."

Jen tossed a Poké Ball only for it to not work. She upgraded to a Great Ball; same result. Ultra Ball didn't work either and she kicked Latias in the stomach out of frustration. I felt a dull pain all over.

"Psychic powers won't mean much in a few minutes," Jen said.

Jon grabbed her shirt. "Idiot! Don't kick her! It just means someone already caught her. Guess we'll have your Pokémon do the heavy lifting. I'll call for the boat."

Jen's Rhydon ended up carrying Latias through Meteor Falls. They didn't encounter a single trainer on the way through the cave and used the cover of darkness to wait on the shores of route 115. I could still see everything clearly; hard to tell if her captors had a light source or if her vision was still that good. The boat that picked them up was the same one I was on when I was offered a job. Everything went black shortly after she was loaded on.

"What's going on?" I asked.

" _She was unconscious for a long time which means we will not be seeing anything anytime soon. How do you feel in here?"_

"There's a numbing feeling from the kick. Does that mean I feel her pain?"

Latios nodded.  _"Yes. It will be no different than the other times I did this. The good news is that not everything that happens to your body in this space will transfer to your real body. As for me, I have already experienced her pain. The vision will stop if you want it to stop, if you collapse from the strain, or if you make it to the end."_

Darkness surrounded us for what seemed to be like hours until Latias had opened her eyes. The pain slowly amplified as I became aware of the area. At the same time, I felt weaker. It was the room with the cages I was shown on Briney's boat.

People in lab coats stood over an operating table incoherently mumbling while working. One mystery Pokémon started rattling around in a cage after they started laughing. Latias' vision started to get blurry.

"Oh shut up in there! It's supposed to hurt. Latias, use Heal Pulse to make our first subject stop. And for fuck's sake, stop crying. Your procedure wasn't as intense; you're just a little disoriented."

Her vision cleared up before she tried getting up. The head was moving violently as if an attack was supposed to come out. Each passing second resulted in her getting more exhausted.

"Trying to attack? Not a chance!" one of them snapped. "All you have is your body's abilities and Heal Pulse to get by. At least we know the procedure worked. Now, be a good girl and heal our other subject or else."

It took a lot of effort to send the attack into the cages, but the job was done. The surgery continued with the only the beeping of the patient monitor echoing through the room. She may not have noticed, but I swore I saw a furry black leg dangling off the edge. Latias was ordered to use Heal Pulse later to stabilize the Pokémon's condition when the beeping became faster.

"Can't stand doing this procedure. At least it'll keep everyone off our backs for a while," another one chimed in once they were done. "Sedate Latias again so the next shift starts off easy."

There was another slow fade to black. My body felt like someone wrapped me in a weighted blanket and I dropped to my knees. It felt like I took punches from every direction; my breathing was labored.

" _Are you able to continue? You do not look like you will last much longer."_

"We're finishing this fucking vision," I growled.

" _If you say so."_

The vision continued with some parts sped up because there was a lot of Latias waiting in a cage. Nothing was clear from a vision standpoint and hearing things clearly was a problem. Her job was basically to heal whatever Pokémon was brought in and it took a lot out of her. Someone finally figured out why.

"Hey! Why are your ears twitching so much?" They looked at a clipboard then back through the iron bars. "Give me a minute."

I could tell her breathing was quicker and she was shaking. Just like the last time Latios fed me a vision, there were two people covered in white armor with thin red scarves. I knew where it was going.

"Feeding visions stops now. Nobody is going to help you. Get out here!"

A burly man dragged her out by the neck while she refused to stop. He took out a needle with a larger liquid capacity was plunged into her back. I ended up going into a fetal position trying to grind out the pain and a burning sensation. Latias had tried to fly out the door but was immediately tackled.

 _"We can't have you almost flying away like that again. Luckily for you, this little accessory will help with that in the future," he said while pulling out the dreaded metal collar. I finally cracked; screaming and flailing nearly prevented me from focusing on the conversation._ _"Oh, now don't worry. It's not that tight. In fact, it fits you perfectly!"_ he sarcastically added.

Latias flailed as much as she could to get it off only to fail. A woman fiddled with the control panel before showing it to the Eon Pokémon.

_"You'll get used to it. In the meantime, I think you need a little nap. We've got a busy day ahead."_

One turn of the knob had me at my limit. I curled up as tight as I could while trying to yell the pain away. My saving grace was Latias going unconscious because the source of pain was gone. Latios simply hovered in place, watching me until I was closer to acting rational.

" _I would be lying if I believed you would make it to the end. Unfortunately, there is nothing else left."_

"Ah fuck!" I groaned between the pain and the fact there was no more information.

" _I will break the link. It will take some time for you to adjust back to your real body but the process itself will be short. Get some rest."_ Light from his eyes expanded until everything went dark; Linoone's tongue eventually woke me up.

Rebecca was standing in the doorway with a tall water bottle while Jack was by the window looking at the body had gone from sitting comfortably on the bed to an awkward position on the ground in the middle of the room. I was aching worse than how I felt watching the vision and covered in sweat. Altaria's wings acted as a pillow and Magneton kept moving my legs for blood flow. Jack ushered Latios off to bed.

"How did I end up like this? It's also night?" I wheezed.

Rebecca walked over with the water. "Controlled multiple tonic-clonic seizures. For what you went through, that is normal. Your Pokémon made sure you didn't hurt yourself too much, but you'll be sore in the morning. Now drink."

I chugged as much as I could, hoping to get rehydrated quicker. She pulled it away from me as more started to drop on the carpet. Trying to get up on my own proved to be a failure since my muscles were too weak to function properly. I was offered help until Aggron walked over with his arms out.

"Oh! Thanks buddy."

Instead of helping me up, he carefully scooped me into his arms. I nearly fell asleep seconds after he finished cradling me. Rebecca escorted to an empty room where I was gently placed into bed. Linoone cuddled up like the first time he decided to trust me as a Zigzagoon, Altaria slept at my feet, Magneton rubbed its magnets up and down my leg which felt amazing, and Aggron plopped down next to the night stand watching the door. Pretty sure Rebecca cracked a smile before she left.

"I fucking love you guys."

* * *

Despite the lingering effects, I slept through the night and woke up mentally refreshed around 2:30 in the afternoon. Everyone had food bowls by their side; not even breakfast could get them to leave. All of them helped me sit up in bed and I leaned on Aggron on the way to the shower. The feeling of a hot shower and a fluffy towel was a welcome one. Jack was waiting for me in my room with a robe.

"Sir, are you alright?" I was about to remind him that he didn't need to call me that until I gave him permission to use it to start serious conversations.

"Just a little sore," I replied while sitting on the bed. "Are there any other side effects that I need to know about from last night?"

He shook his head. "Not that I am aware of. Doctor Ellis had no lasting problems."

"Good. Would you two mind giving me a tour of the house after I get changed?"

"You should rest for a little bit longer."

"Fine. One hour." He pulled out a notepad as he left.

Putting on the robe almost put me back to sleep. My team huddling around asking to be pet helped the time pass while keeping me awake. I reminded them that what happened to me was my choice and thanked them again for minimizing the damage. I recalled them once the hour was up then changed into comfortable clothes. The tour was quick considering the size of the house. Between the two floors, there was enough to fit a large group comfortably.

Seven bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, two living rooms, the sun room, balconies attached to Ellis' room and the sun room, a study with a desktop computer and a laptop, quality furniture throughout, good reception for a PokéNav, and all the acreage surrounding the land was mine. There were also three full bathrooms and three bathrooms with just a toilet. The best part was everything was modern at the minimum; not everything was overly luxurious. If the estate was anywhere but the rugged mountains outside Fallarbor Town, it would be worth millions. I took it all in stride until we got to the large glass display case.

"Look at all of these items! How did he have time to get a big collection?" I asked.

Every possible type of evolutionary stone was on display along with a few mega stones. Smaller items like a silk scarf or pieces of charcoal were off to the side. Heart Scales were tucked away in the corners for decorative effect.

"Some were gifts. Others were forms of payment," Rebecca answered. "He let trainers who stayed here take something if they needed it."

"I see. Can I take some of these on my journey?"

"You do own them… so yes."

I managed to keep a poker face knowing I had so much at my fingertips. Still, the richest kids in school with good items still managed to suck at battling. I wasn't going to allow myself to get complacent or let the items replace traditional training. Jack took me over to the two Master Balls.

"Last time you were here, you asked about these. Simply put, these belong to both Eon Pokémon."

"So you can recall them if there's trouble?"

Jack rubbed his neck. "Well, Latias can be. Latios is still a wild Pokémon. Ellis asked if they wanted to feel safer if they were in the area but Latios didn't see it that way. If the day comes where it wants to be caught, we will know." A slight distortion of the wall appeared where the top of the stairs met the hallway.

As cool as it would be to have it on my team, it wouldn't work. It sure as hell wouldn't listen to me if it didn't try to kill me; at least Aggron wanted to tag along when I got him. Dragging Latios in any plan to save Latias was insanely risky because there was a good chance he'd wind up hurt or captured.

"That's crazy!" I whispered. "Glad I know that now."

"Of course! I believe that's everything you need to know about the house."

Rebecca nervously stepped forward. "There is one more thing, maste… I mean Ryan."

"Shoot."

"Our pay. What will our pay be?"

Even though it was probably a given, it still felt weird that I was asked about their salary. We took the conversation into the dining room. They brought up past paystubs on the laptop detailing how everything worked.

"Do you want to know how I was able to afford this place?" I reluctantly asked; they just stared. "One spin on a roulette wheel. That's it. Finances aren't my strong suit. For the sake of making it easy on me, I'll go with your previous amount for now. I hope you can understand."

She sternly nodded. "You have been more than fair to us up to this point."

"Cool. Before I get back to my journey, can I negotiate how community service can be done?"

We all agreed that as a trainer, it would take a lot of energy out of me and my Pokémon to come back and help others. I could do something as simple as heal another trainer's Pokémon on the road to volunteering at a Pokémon Center. If I explained what happened, they could keep a record. Putting the house number and their personal numbers in my PokéNav essentially sealed the agreement.

Jack insisted on me waiting until morning to get back on the road. I agreed seeing as it was close to dinnertime. They cooked up a large dinner except Latios and Salamence didn't make an appearance. Salamence losing his master sent him into a deep state of depression that he had yet to break out of. Not even the news of keeping his home was enough to move the needle in a happier direction. It was also obvious that Latios wasn't going to trust me anytime soon.

I started my goodwill efforts by going through the doctor's closet. Most of his clothes didn't fit me so I was more than happy to donate them to people in town. It was no secret that he was dead, but I preferred that the donation was on behalf of the estate and not me. Everything else was left untouched.

Lounging around for the rest of the night while having my team run around gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. Quality rest and knowledge that we had a place to come back to was something not a lot of trainers had. We could hit the ground running to our next destination.

Fortree City.


	23. Back on Track

Sunlight that managed to squeak through curtains woke me up. Frost had settled across the landscape overnight although it was going to warm up. Trying to start the day in a tent was a pain in the ass unless it was warm throughout the night; I had to mentally prepare myself for that again.

Both housekeepers were making breakfast when I went downstairs. Their Pokémon had been nibbling away except for Salamence who was reluctant to eat. My presence piqued his curiosity for the entire time I ate. He kept a blank stare as if he wasn't sure how to feel about me. I pretended not to notice although when I looked over, he turned away.

"Sleep well?" Rebecca asked while plating my food.

"Yup. I'm going to miss sleeping in a bed tonight."

She let out a soft laugh. "Oh, I'll bet! Let me pour some food for your Pokémon."

I appreciated the gesture, but I was unsure about having my team eat in the dining room. Except for Altaria, my teammates had gotten a few shots in during the battle with the strong dragon Pokémon. The last thing I wanted was for breakfast to turn into a war, so I sent her out first.

Altaria's nature was on full display as she waddled over without much thought. I internally exhaled as the two were talking at an average volume. We kept an eye on them hoping that Salamence would show signs of opening up. There was a small breakthrough when it relaxed its body while looking at me. I let everyone else out to eat after that.

"Looks like you and your team are trusted enough," Rebecca noted as everyone ate peacefully.

"Not enough for Latios though."

"Don't worry about him. It took the doctor a few months before Latos felt comfortable enough to let his guard down while staying here. Latias wasn't as hard to change."

"About those two… what is their relationship?" I started. "Are they siblings, mates, friends, something else?"

Jack came in with his plate. "They never told us even though we asked. It's clear that they care a lot about each other, though." I left that topic alone and changed to something more lighthearted.

I explained the ups and downs of life as a trainer while the morning dragged on. They shared their own experiences despite them having less traveling time. My attention had slowly split between them and my team as I saw Linoone approach Salamence with his head down. The entire dining room eventually turned their attention to them after they were across from each other.

Hell must've frozen over because Linoone looked like he was apologizing for something. Words turned into charades as he reenacted parts of their battle. I nearly threw myself back in my chair when Linoone slowly put up a paw and Salamence shook it.

"That is so adorable!" Rebecca squeaked.

"Never seen that before," Jack added. "Ryan?"

I still had a hard time processing what had just happened in front of me. The gesture was something that every other Pokémon in my family would do except him. I don't think my partner even showed remorse for ripping up our couch pillows as a Zigzagoon.

"Beats me. He lived on the streets with an impish nature and embraces being an asshole in battle. If you told me he would apologize for  _anything_ , I wouldn't believe it." Whether someone told him to do it or not, it brightened up the mood.

Aggron came over shortly after with a fist by his midsection. The two heavyweights talked far longer than Linoone with more motioning. I got nervous when they stopped, but they laughed in unison. Fist bumping with their claws was a good sign that they'd get along. Maybe even become sparring partners down the line.

Gathering my things was harder than expected because I had a lot more to work with. The smaller pouches in my backpack were stretched to their limits with some extra healing items. My Pokémon also got upgrades: Silk Scarf for Linoone, Dragon Fang for Altaria, and Metal Coat for Aggron. There wasn't anything useful for Magneton although it didn't look like a fan of hold items.

There was a concern about them getting in the way, but that wasn't the case. Aggron fiddled around with the Metal Coat and he glowed for a few seconds; he looked shinier than normal. Linoone's item was more like kinesio tape that blended in with this cream-colored fur. I preferred that over wrapping it around his neck or leg where it could get in the way or put him in danger. The Dragon Fang could be safely tucked inside Altaria's fluffy wings in a way that wouldn't fall out or hurt her on an impact.

I healed everyone up and gave my steel types an extra polishing before double checking my things. Some people might've called me over prepared, but I thought it was worth the extra weight. Everyone caught me staring at my backpack.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked. I recalled my team.

"Yeah. Just surprised that I have all this stuff. My first day out on the road was completely different."

"Fair enough. Anyway, where are you going to next?"

I pulled out my PokéNav. "Fortree City. It has the closest gym besides Mauville."

He looked to Salamence. "We don't mind flying you over there. Long trips are something we are familiar with." I broke out in a cold sweat.

"Can we go slow? Maybe drop me off at the east side of Mauville?" Altaria sulked and I pretended not to notice.

"You can control the pace and I'll yell out the commands. We're going to grab the clothes you want to donate and do that after we drop you off. Meet us outside in a few minutes."

They went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. I thought about snagging an extra jacket but figured my attire was good enough. I saw a floating distortion of light coming in from the kitchen.

"Staying hidden is harder than you think," I casually said with my arms folded. Latios dropped its cover and floated over.

" _Am I really that noticeable?"_

"Depends on the distance you are away from people and the surrounding environment. I saw you at the top of the stairs during our tour but didn't say anything. Try it in a forest and I probably won't see you. Anyway, I'm about to head out."

He looked at Salamence then back to me. The whole tough guy persona slowly dropped, and he put his head down. Tears slowly streamed down his face.

" _Please… I do not know what to do."_

I looked at the four Poké Balls on my belt. "Get stronger. My team and I will be doing the same thing so that we'll be prepared to get Latias back when the time comes. Don't do anything stupid either." He nodded then floated to the sun room as I went outside.

Salamence took some time to adjust to the weight of three adults plus a suitcase worth of clothes before taking off. I dug in my hands and closed my eyes for most of the ride in addition to constantly taking deep breaths. Staying high up wasn't ideal, but I felt is was necessary while going over Mauville. Beachfront properties on route 118 were my cue to land.

"Are you sure you're okay with being dropped off here?" Jack innocently asked.

"Yes! I'm scared of flying, okay!? Now you know!" I snapped; I quickly put my head in my hands. "Sorry about that. It's been eating at me every time Altaria is out of her ball. Didn't have the heart to tell her because she might think it would be her fault."

They looked at each other trying to plan a response. Flying on a Pokémon's back was one of those things where it was acceptable to do and relatively safe, but a mistake could be fatal. It was exhausting just to keep calm as a rider.

"Well, there should be someone in Fortree City that could help you," Rebecca said. "It has the highest elevation of any city and unlike near us, it has open skies. Perfect conditions for flying types."

Her words made me pull out the gym leader sheet from when I first started. Winona was the gym leader and her community services was based on teaching flying classes. Two sessions were dedicated to beginners while two were for more advanced flyers. I felt like an idiot for having a one-track mind and not reading the fine print.

"I'll try not to panic during lessons."

"Just remember that they will not make fun of you. They were beginners at one point." She took another step forward. "We'll keep you informed about what's going on with Latias on our end. Call us if you want to check in for anything."

All I could do was stare into space; they were basically another set of parents I could confide in. Keeping me up to date could allow me to ask better questions to people or act on my own if it was possible. The biggest thing was that they supported me, even before they were getting paid. Waving goodbye almost made up for not doing it with my real parents when I first started… almost.

I thought about stopping home before taking the ferry to the east side of route 118 but decided against it. My parents weren't home in the middle of the day and I wanted to keep up the momentum. Only one other trainer crossed the water with me; she wasn't much for talking.

The sandy beach turned into grass and the sight of trainers milling around was a welcome sight. Kecleon was a Pokémon that I saw in person for the first time, but I already had Linoone. I managed to win a few low wager trainer battles with contributions from everyone. When I saw route 119, I wish I had held it together long enough to get to Fortree.

Grass was taller than my head, the elevation points were obvious, and the Weather Institute appeared to be the only building for miles. Fantastic place to enjoy nature even if it was a ridiculously long route. I found it hard to believe the scenery in front of me was just a ferry ride away.

I wandered through the ridiculously tall grass until I heard a lot of rustling at once. A young boy with a gardening hat managed to spot me walking to him. He turned around then started to walk the other way. Bothering him wasn't worth my time so I headed north; so did he. I went left to avoid a puddle, so did he even though there was no puddle. The weird part was he was only a few feet away from me the entire time. I pretended to sprint ahead only to make a hard cut back that he wasn't prepared for.

"Ah, you got me! Our mimic circle needs some work."

"Mimic circle?"

"Yeah! There's a group out here having fun following people in the grass. Sometimes we get too far from each other. Anyway, wanna battle?" Kid had some pep in his step.

"Sure! You can go first. I choose Linoone!"

He nodded before making his choice. "Dustox, use Psybeam!"

The hybrid bug and poison type was ready to go as soon as it materialized. Rainbow-colored light made its way through the grass faster than I thought and hit Linoone. He shook it off while trying to find Dustox.

"Focus and use Covet!"

"Venoshock! Stay on the ground!"

Purple blobs were fired across the way; neither of us could get a good read on the attack. My partner took more punishment as Dustox went on the move again. Every opportunity to pounce ended up in failure. I had to keep him moving.

"Sand Attack in every direction!" Linoone dug away in the hopes that a patch of dirt would find its mark. More rustling came from his right and I took the risk. "Slash!"

He saw a shade of purple and brown to aim for and nailed his mark. A tiny bit of sparkling dust came from Dustox's body as a result. It was a weird thing to see, but nothing ended up happening.

"Silver Wind!"

"Covet!"

One swoop of Dustox's wings was all it could get out before being scratched up. There was some extra frustration being let out since Linoone took more damage than he thought. Maybe he took the battle for granted. The fact that I couldn't read attacks well in the grass was another problem. I facepalmed when he strutted back to me after getting the knockout.

"Good effort. Sorry about Linoone. He can be a little troublemaker."

"Oh… okay," he replied while sulking.

I pulled out a Revive and a Super Potion. "Just in case you don't have any of your own." He put his head up and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Very strong one right here!" he yelled before sprinting away with a lighthearted laugh.

Honestly, I envied the kid. So carefree at that age where they look forward to battling to gain experience as opposed to purely testing it. I was glad that money wasn't even discussed before we started. How I wanted to turn back the clock knowing what I know now.

Four other trainers with various bug catching tools found me shortly after the call to action. The youngest one looked the same age while the oldest one looked like he was in his mid-teens. A pair also appeared to be brothers.

"Normally we wait for people to get near us for battles, but it's hard to ignore the call for a strong trainer," the oldest one said.

"Makes sense. So, what are the rules going to be?" They gave me a confused look. "How about one at a time?"

"Works for us. One round each. I'll start first," the oldest one answered.

Everybody stood a safe distance away as we got set. I didn't have much of a plan considering they weren't that old and it was only one round for each battle. My first opponent was willing to wager 700P.

"Altaria, you're up!" I ordered with confidence.

She wasn't as cheerful as she could be, but it was better than I expected. There was a sense of wanting to battle in her body language.

"Masquerain, I choose you!"

A quiet battle cry came from the flying bug Pokémon. It was unnerving hearing that while focusing on its big eyes. Altaria took a few steps back in fear before getting in a better battling stance. I could've sworn that the circles under it moved. I took out the Pokédex since I hadn't seen one in person.

" _Masquerain, the Eyeball Pokémon. Its antennae look like angry eyes to appear threatening to others. The four wings on its body allow it to fly away in any direction if intimidation fails in the wild."_

"Very interesting choice. I haven't battled one yet," I casually said.

He shrugged his shoulders. "First time for everything. Masquerain, use Air Cutter!"

Each individual wing sent a visible curved blast of wind one after another. Dodging was a lot easier with an open sky and Altaria took full advantage; the attack cut off a few inches of grass to the side. Masquerain took to the sky as well.

"Keep it down with Dragon Breath!" A small glow came from Altaria's wing as she breathed in. Green flames came out larger than normal and they found their mark. "Use Fly!"

A smile formed on my opponent's face. "Gust!"

Its tiny wings were strong enough to keep Altaria from moving forward. The thing kept going and pushed her back and forced her to change course. Shortly after that, she was spinning in circles. Dizziness had set in.

"Move your head around and use Dragon Breath!"

The indiscriminate attack pattern forced Masquerain to focus on dodging. A tiny stream got it and signs of paralysis were showing. It wasn't long before the vortex was weak enough to break free from.

"Fly at it!"

The overall force of the attack wasn't as strong as it could've been, but it was more than enough to deliver a knockout. My opponent hung his head while recalling his partner. Everyone else reached for their belts before he got a chance to say anything.

"Go Ninjask!"

"Beautifly!"

"Dustox, get out here!"

Although it was three against one, I wasn't concerned. Those Pokémon were some of the weakest in the region. It wasn't like in underground battles where someone looking to intimidate someone else had more threatening Pokémon. Also, they were young and trying to stick up for their leader.

"Guys, I don't think you should do that," the leader urged.

"We don't lose that easily! We're gonna be fine!" one cheerfully replied. I let out a sigh.

"Let me add Magneton!" It went from its normal carefree self to aggressive after noticing the angry looks on the other side of the field. It looked back at me for orders. "This battle's now a free-for-all. Be careful."

Chaos erupted after it turned around. Every Pokémon except Magneton took to the air looking for more room to attack. Silver Wind, Psybeam, and Slash went up against Dragon Breath and Thunder.

Unfortunately, Thunder's inaccuracy was amplified by everyone being so spread out. Dragon Breath quickly overpowered Dustox's Psybeam but then Altaria was hit with Beautifly's Silver Wind. She then flew closer to the ground as Ninjask was coming with a Slash attack. Magneton threw itself at Ninjask to while she was still trying to recover; it fired Flash Cannon from close range to even the score after squaring up.

"Alright guys, that's enough now," their leader pleaded again.

"Just a little longer! Poison Sting!" the youngest one left yelled.

I didn't have much of a choice since they wouldn't listen to reason. "Magneton, protect Altaria!" The purple needles harmlessly bounced off its steel body. "Fire at Dustox with Tri Attack!"

A glowing triangle was shot across the way causing heavy damage and a burn to boot. Psybeam was fired only to be met with Flash Cannon. I was a little surprised that Magneton held back since both attacks cancelled each other out. Dustox landed to conserve its strength before groaning from the burn.

"Beautifly, Silver Wind!"

"Not again! Altaria, use Fly! Magneton, keep an eye on Dustox!"

Watching everything unfold was surreal. Despite having a massive disadvantage in type, strength, and experience, nobody on the other side was willing to give an inch. Conceding wasn't even a thought to them. I missed having that level of innocence.

Altaria flew high enough to avoid the quick burst of wind and used its speed to hone in on Beautifly. Dustox shrugged off the pain to help its partner only to be hit with another Tri Attack; it was a knockout blow. The remaining bug type couldn't get another attack off or get out of the way fast enough. I didn't feel a sense of satisfaction when it fell to the ground. The group members reached for belts looking for more.

"Look, I know where you guys are coming from. I still want you to have Pokémon that can fight on the way home though. Mine aren't that injured all things considered." Their leader got in front of them.

"He's right. No more battling. We're all about having fun out here."

The youngest one pouted. "Aw come on!"

"No, and that's final," the leader snapped. He pulled out a few bills. "Here's your money."

I pushed his hand back. "Keep it. I'd feel bad about taking your money after all this."

"You sure?"

I leaned in closer. "Yup. I think you should talk to them about why what they did was a bad idea or at least tell their parents. Not everyone is going to be as nice as me." I gave them a few healing items and waived my teammates a little further north.

"Good work you two!" I said while petting them.

They approved the support before my Pokédex started beeping. A notification appeared for Altaria while she was squirming.

_Altaria is trying to learn Dragon Pulse. To get rid of a move, please select the one you wish to delete and point the Pokédex at Altaria._

Honestly, I wasn't prepared for a new move for anyone. Fly couldn't be forgotten naturally because it was a hidden machine move so that wasn't an option. Sing hadn't been used much recently, but it could turn the tide of a battle in our favor. Dragon Breath was a solid move that had paralysis as a secondary effect. Cotton Guard made her last longer against physical attackers and could be annoying if an opponent was paralyzed from Dragon Breath.

As much as I wanted to have Sing on standby, she needed a little power boost. Magneton had Thunder, Linoone had Slash with a Silk Scarf, and Aggron oozed power. Dragon Pulse combined with the Dragon Fang would do wonders. It could also catch people by surprise since Altaria as a species doesn't look like they pack a punch. I selected "Sing" and the beam took care of everything else. Her head tilted in confusion when it was done.

"You just got a new move! How about testing it?" She fired a strong blue beam of energy that instantly shattered a thick boulder. I scratched her chin. "Good girl! Now, let's get back on the road."

* * *

The trek through route 119 felt like it was never going to end. An occasional trainer battle kept my team sharp while rangers patrolled the area regularly. One day was essentially a rainout so I took a natural shower. I also spent the entire time in my tent planning my battle against Winona and what two Pokémon I wanted to add to the team after fiddling around on the PokéNav.

Nothing new had come out regarding Pokémon Services or from Jack and Rebecca. Out of curiosity, I checked Lostelle's site to see the tournament scene. The same person had won the big payout tournaments: Seven. I didn't know if he did his own marketing or the casino did, but he was treated like a superstar.

Ardos might've had mixed feelings about him being so out in the open, but he couldn't deny the 100,000 to 250,000P payouts nearly every week; one win was for a cool 1,000,000P. Jen snuck in a win or two at the top although she consistently did well winning 50,000-100,000P depending on the tournament or where she finished.

After nine days of hiking, I saw the Weather Institute on the horizon. Paying Sadie a visit was a spontaneous decision once I was within a few feet of the entrance. As much as I wanted to call her and Lucas, I didn't have their personal numbers. It's not like I had the time either. A secretary was filing papers when I walked in.

"Hello sir! What can I do for you?"

"Is there a chance I can talk to a Sadie?"

I got a skeptical look. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Not really. I'm her brother." Still didn't trust me.

"Let me call her. You can have a seat by the wall." I took the advice and waited patiently.

For what it was worth, the call was actually made. I distracted myself by looking around the expansive lobby then at a magazine. It wasn't long before the sound of clicking heels echoed through the lobby. Mumbling at the front desk went on for a short time before I pulled the magazine down. Sadie's eyes lit up.

"Ryan!?" She ran over to give me a big hug. "You're really here!"

"Figured I'd stop by since I was about to take on the Fortree gym."

She filled out some paperwork at the desk. "Let's do lunch. I've got an hour break and it's quarter after eleven. Follow me."

We went through the ground floor to a parking lot out back. To my surprise, there were community rental cars that anyone could take for any reason. Being driven the rest of the way to Fortree was a relief. We ended up on a back patio of a small café near the Pokémon Center.

"Do they have places to eat in trees?"

She laughed. "Well, one place has its kitchen on the ground and sends food up by a pulley system. Treehouses are more common that tree shops or tree anything, really. Living on the ground has its advantages too."

"Yeah, I don't remember too much about each city from school." After we ordered, I took out four Poké Balls. "Want to see my team?"

"Of course! Mom and dad told me you were taking the league challenge."

"Here's a familiar face." Linoone wasted no time rubbing against her leg and begging for belly rubs. "Why don't I get that kind of love?" I teased; he playfully stuck out his tongue.

Sadie went with it. "Good boy! Still fluffy after all that battling. Who's next?"

"Magneton."

It took a few minutes to understand what was going on, but it nodded in approval. Sticking out a magnet for a pseudo handshake was something I hadn't heard of until it did it.

"Aww! It's so cute."

"Next up is Aggron," I said in a way that wouldn't freak her out. She did her best to keep a straight face as the large Pokémon materialized. He took a step closer then went to pet her head. "Aggron… that's my sister."

Sadie played it off despite her shaking. "Nice to meet you." He realized how awkward it was and slipped away to eat

"My bad. He's only done that twice to my last Pokémon and it's worked out fine both times."

"Oh. I thought he would be a little more… scary?"

I put on a big smile. "Trust me, he can be. Last up is Altaria."

Her immediately hiding behind me came as a shock. Quirky was a fair description considering she wasn't afraid of Aggron when it wasn't happy with me. Then again, she lived most of her life in one place surrounded by the same people before I cared for her; socialization was going to take some time.

"It's okay Altaria. She's my sister. We're family." That got her to poke her head out, but she waddled over to everyone else for lunch.

"A little shy, I see."

I shrugged my shoulders. "She's better with new Pokémon. Besides, I haven't been home since I left."

"Really?"

"Really. I'll show you." The slot for the Dynamo Badge in my case was surrounded by four other badges.

She relaxed her face. "You don't have to be mad anymore. Nothing like that has happened to me since the incident."

"I'm not mad now. I might be when I go back to pick up my eighth badge though," I calmly said.

"Please don't talk about it when you go. Chances are that they've forgotten it by now. Can we talk about something else?"

"I guess you're right. How's work?"

Sadie's hard work had paid off in so many ways. Her apartment was in the northeast part of the city, Castform was officially hers to care for, the pay was good, and she had a decent group of friends at work. For a 19-year-old working in a field that required a high level of accuracy, she handed the stress pretty well. An occasional outburst slipped in the bathroom, but nothing enough to cause concern. The biggest benefit was that she had her own PokéNav. She teased me about not calling on her 19th birthday.

My stories from the road were toned down or had some details missing as we ate. The last thing I wanted was to bring her into my problems with the way things currently were. I held back about the roulette spin and the mansion near Fallarbor Town.

Lucas preferred to call home since he knew when our parents would be avaible. He had a tough time staying consistent in his Pokéathlon competitions over in Johto; he wasn't getting cut anytime soon. I was given the website to watch highlights since streaming the whole thing took a good chunk out of the day.

"Mom doing okay? Dad still working a normal shift?" I asked.

"As far as I know, they're doing fine. Mom took a lot of time to get over the whole manager thing but still is one of the best employees. Dad hasn't changed a bit although Torkoal has gotten a lot stronger this past tourist season."

The proverbial lightbulb went off in my head. "Can you send packages from the Pokémon Center?"

"Yes. I've done it a few times. Even from here, it took some time for it to reach home. What are you going to send?"

"Overheat. It's a TM disc that contains data for a powerful fire attack. Dad's job will get so much easier if Torkoal knows that move."

"But what if you need it?"

I took out my Pokédex. "Nobody on my team can learn it. Anyway, don't you have to go back to work?"

"Unfortunately," she replied while rolling her eyes. "I'm glad we could meet up!"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could stay at your place until I'm done with my gym battle. Three days tops."

Sadie's face had a concerned look. "My place isn't that big. How does sleeping on a futon sound?"

"Fine by me. Beats my tent or a Pokémon Center mattress that may be worn out."

I was handed a piece of paper after recalling my team. "Cool! Here's the address if you want to stop by after 4:30." She gave me soft hug. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Anything for my little sister. See you later tonight." I went to the Pokémon Center after her car was out of sight."

Judging by the all the brochures lying around, Fortree seemed like a bigger tourist destination than Mauville. There was a lot to do in the way of hiking, but I took a pamphlet for Winona's flying class on the way to Nurse Joy sitting at the front desk.

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

"Is there a chance I could get a gym battle scheduled for tomorrow?"

"Give me just one minute." She took my Pokédex while typing with the other hand. "You're the only challenger scheduled for tomorrow. Any time works." I peeked at the blank page.

"Ten in the morning is looking good."

"Excellent! Just sign the paperwork here and someone from the gym will pick it up. Good luck!"

* * *

Sadie did a good job of turning a subsidized one bedroom, one bathroom apartment into a comfortable living space. Getting a home cooked comfort food meal from her was something that I could've used after the rough start to my journey; better late than never. I nearly melted into the futon and reluctantly dragged my ass out of bed the following morning.

Fortree's layout was like a grid when walking through the treetops. Bridges connected shops and houses with plenty of space to walk on. Having the gym in the middle of the city albeit a little to the south was a perfect location. It had a lot of tall, thick tress surrounding it adding a layer of mystery of what to expect. After climbing the ladder to get in, it was nothing short of beautiful.

Aside from the retractable roof, the gym was meant to be an open space. Small gusts occasionally blew through bringing leaves from surrounding trees. Windmills were a nice aesthetic choice although only two were visible by the door. There was a steep hill that I couldn't climb up on my own, but there was a weird rotating pillar that looked like a pair of wings; it took up the whole width of the thin path. It was a long drop to the ground if I fell over the railing.

"Are you the challenger for today?" an aide asked.

"I am. What am I supposed to do?"

"Simple! Push the rotating pillars to move forward and face any trainers that point to you. If they don't see you, then you don't have to battle them. They're also not allowed to seek you out if they notice a battle somewhere else in the gym. There will be referees at designated areas to handle everything else. If you fall, your challenge is over. Best of luck."

The pillar was sturdy, but not impossible to move. I even had the option of going backwards if I needed to. A set of wooden stairs led me up to another pillar which I pushed again. There was a gym trainer tending to his area and he failed to notice me. I snuck by behind a pile of stumps almost as tall as me. Unfortunately, the path was too narrow to avoid a young girl waiting around a corner.

"Winona taught me how to battle! You're not going to win!" she proudly stated.

"Oh? Well, where are we going to battle?"

"Let me show you!"

She skipped to a winder part of the path where a referee was patiently waiting. Behind the girl was another set of stairs in the distance while to the left and right had steep hills. We were close to the railing, but I saw there was actually a net just before the ground.

"Just a single round folks!" our referee yelled over a consistent burst of wind. She sent out a Swablu. I was all business and went with Magneton. "Here we go! Magneton versus Swablu!"

"Use Sing!" she ordered as loud as possible.

Its melody didn't affect my Pokémon at all; probably couldn't hear it over the wind. The flying type looked back at its trainer wondering what went wrong. There's no way Winona taught her that. It was a trainer's job to keep their Pokémon alert at all times in battle.

"Flash Cannon!"

All three magnets caved in toward the center of its body before firing a concentrated beam of energy. Swablu never saw it coming and took a shot to the back of its head; it instantly fainted. Textbook definition of a critical hit in action.

"Swablu is unable to battle. Magneton wins!" The battle had my opponent sniveling as I continued to the stairs.

"You big meanie!" she wailed as I walked past her. Choosing to ignore her was for the best.

Climbing over a series of uneven stumps was too risky so I stayed on the path. Another pillar waited for me after I turned another corner. I pushed it to the right and it moved; only problem was that I went in a complete loop. Pushing it back worked to my surprise.

"Can't push down because stumps are in the way. Wait… Aggron!" I said while calling him out. "I need you to push this pillar with me. Ready?" The referee came sprinting after me.

"Hey! Woah! What are you doing?"

I gave him a confused look. "Trying to move the pillar?"

"That thing's going to break if you force it that way. Every challenger can get to the gym leader without the help of their Pokémon.

"Oh! I see." I recalled Aggron.

"Besides, these things cost 75,000P to make and another 50,000 to ship. Not worth it if you ask me."

If only he knew that it might have been for me. Puzzle? What puzzle? Just breaking a few to get to Winona faster might have made for an interesting day. Maybe I could've avoided eye contact with every remaining trainer.

The idea was to push it to the right then circle back around to go down. Wooden stairs took me to another obstacle that went in one direction. Just like before, there was a young trainer waiting around a corner. Winona and Brawly must've traded tips on trainer placement.

"I can take care of you myself!" Winona might've been too generous about hiring tweens.

"Doubt it!" I shot back while the wind was still blowing.

Again, we found ourselves in a space where there was enough room to battle. There was a different referee and it was a two against two singles match. He led with Doduo while I led with Magneton again. Honestly, it wasn't a fair fight. Tri Attack nearly scored a knockout and I felt bad ordering a Flash Cannon to secure the round. Pelipper came out next before falling in one hit to Thunder.

The referee not moving an inch while I continued should've been my cue that another trainer was around the corner. He looked like a high school senior but only had one Pokémon in Dodrio. To me, it was yet another minor inconvenience despite the wind dying down. One Thunder sent it down in a heap after it managed to dodge the previous two and got in a Tri Attack.

"I've got to be near the end, right?" I asked them after noticing only one slope to my right.

"Pretty much. If you want to go to the Pokémon Center, you can slide down to the entrance instead of going through the puzzle again."

Why would I go back down? I was on a roll and just healed Magneton. A set of stairs leading up to what I assumed was Winona was behind a larger pillar that was against a stump. I held Aggron's ball in my hand before putting my head down.

"Don't do it Ryan. You can find dumber shit to waste money on," I mumbled to myself.

The last leg of the puzzle was essentially a big loop. A small pillar was pushed up to get to another trainer around my age; his Pelipper didn't even land a hit before Thunder knocked it out. I had to push another pillar down because it wouldn't go left. After fiddling around with the one that got me to the last trainer, I finally was able to reach the stairs.

I took a minute to appreciate the view of the gym from above. Seeing the aide so small was a testament to how much I climbed and how large the gym really was. Windmills gradually revealed themselves with each step I took until I was at the summit. Winona was standing in the middle of the battlefield embracing the gentle breeze. A small section of a wooden sliding wall was behind her.

"I am Winona, leader of the Fortree City gym. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with bird Pokémon. They are so graceful in the face of adverse flying conditions and battle. Allow me to show you what I have learned from my time soaring the skies."

"You'll get the best my team has to offer." She pointed to the wall.

We waited patiently for it to open. The base of a covered walkway was the only thing I could see as she led the way.

"Our battle will not take place on this field. Follow me."


	24. High Flyer

Winona led me through the large enclosed walkway after turning on the lights. Neither of us spoke as we walked closer to wherever our field was going to be. Based on the high frequency of wind gusts outside, it was going to be even higher up. I originally thought her dark blue and white colored flight suit was only for show.

The end of the path revealed a square dirt waiting area attacked to massive concrete monument. Large statues guarded yet another set of stairs with a Skarmory on the right and a Charizard on the left. A sea of trees below us. I made the mistake of looking down for too long and my legs started to wobble. Luckily for me, Winona didn't see because she was ahead of me. I climbed the set of stairs with her to reach the battle area.

Honestly, it was much different than what I had anticipated. The battle area had more than enough room for any Pokémon fighting on the ground; falling off the edge would require a lot of effort. Each corner had a totem pole near the edge as an indicator.

The actual field was closer to the middle while the benches for spectators were just outside the lines. Our referee was checking to make sure everything was adequate. Instead of a traditional trainer's box, it looked like both of us would stand on a platform connected to a metal tower with a railing to lean on. Winona stood next to me and took in the view.

"How do you like the field? It was built centuries ago by the people of Fortree to get as close to the sky as possible. To them, this place was sacred. Even after upgrades and modernization, I still feel that aura from long ago."

"It's… different," was all I could manage to get out without sounding nervous.

"You bet! I have to give you credit for staying focused on the way up. A lot of trainers get nervous or even back out when the battle takes place here."

I gave her a confused look. "As opposed to indoors?"

She nodded. "This is the primary battlefield. The secondary one is used if the wind speed is too high or if the weather is bad. Right now, it's mostly calm and sunny which is perfect!"

A gut punch more powerful than actually getting punched in the gut. Had I checked the forecast for later dates, I could've saved myself some trouble. To say she had a home field advantage was a massive understatement. It was one hell of a mental hurdle to clear for anyone.

"We are all set," our referee said after coming to meet us in the middle of the field after dropping a satchel by the sideline. "Each trainer will use four Pokémon but only the challenger may substitute. The battle is over when all four Pokémon on either side are deemed unable to battle or if there is a forfeit. All other league rules apply. Watch for my signals as the wind may drown out my verbal rulings."

I didn't think the wind would be that big of a deal on a clam day. "Can you go over them? They vary from gym to gym."

"Of course! I will raise both flags to start a round and raise the losing Pokémon's flag when it has been deemed unable to battle. Yours will be green and Winona's will be red. Moving on, both of you will take your place on the platform before I will set it to a legal predetermined height. No Pokémon can perch on them otherwise it will be a disqualification. You will have five minutes to prepare followed by an air horn cue for the start. Good luck to both trainers."

I broke out into a cold sweat. Was it really necessary to go even higher? Also, it seemed like it would make the battle more complicated. I was surprised the league approved everything. Maybe she worked out a deal like Norman did.

"Ready?" Winona cheerfully asked. Despite how much she could have messed with my head, she remained humble.

"Yup. Let's go."

Going to the platform was the longest walk of my life. Each step was smaller and felt weaker until I entered through the sturdy railing. At least it was in a semicircle with a wide enough base on the pillar to lean back on. I tightly gripped the front as it slowly rose to the appropriate height; roughly thirty feet off the ground. Winona confidently stood across the way.

"At this height, we are officially one mile above sea level," she yelled over.

Winona went down on a knee before putting her right hand over her heart. She closed her eyes and started to mumble something. The pre-battle ritual was finished when she made a fist with her right hand, brought it close to her face, appeared to blow on it, and finally pointed to the sky while looking up. I simply closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The air horn sounded after I was done.

"Swellow, let's go!" The surroundings got to me because I took way too long to make my choice.

"Magneton!"

Height difference between us and the actual field didn't completely matter because Swellow went to the ground to start. Winona also had to deal with the wind. Maybe I was overthinking things.

Both flags went up and nobody moved. I had the first attack, but my mind went blank. A gust of wind came through as soon as I went to call out an order, so I waited. Winona had kept a straight face the entire time; I went for it after the wind died down.

"Thunder!"

"Double Team!"

Copies of Swellow formed at what felt like record pace before Magneton could even charge up. With a dozen potential targets, it aimed for everything. Each copy faded but the real one was coming down from above.

"Aerial Ace!"

The move hardly damaged my hybrid steel and electric type, yet it was still frustrating to see. A wasted attack on my end followed up by a quick hit was going to become a problem if I didn't figure something out.

"Go for Tri Attack!"

"You can dodge with Quick Attack!"

Her Pokémon stood in place as if it was taunting us. Magneton's attack was sent quickly across the field; it was still too slow. Swellow flew to the side then straight ahead for a direct hit. Then it flew up by Winona to create distance. Hit and run battling was an unorthodox method that not a lot of trainers had the patience to execute. Winona looked like she was the exception.

"Thunder!"

"Again? If you insist. Swellow, you know what to do!"

It was rinse and repeat with lightning bolts not hitting the main target. The flying type had circled around behind Magneton to line up for another hit. I let it commit to attacking before making my move.

"Swing around then use Metal Sound!" Quick reflexes allowed it to send out a visible sound wave that stopped Swellow in its tracks. The wind picked up again and blew against my face, but the opportunity was too perfect to pass up. "Thunder!"

My command didn't register since Tri Attack came out instead. Swellow was in pain, although not enough to leave it defenseless for too long. The satisfaction of landing a hit wasn't as high as it usually was for me. There wasn't even a secondary status effect. Winona appeared to yell out a command while holding up her index finger; Swellow immediately went for an Aerial Ace from above.

"Look up and use Flash Cannon!"

Again, my partner didn't hear me and took the hit because it looked behind instead of up. Swellow drove it into the ground for a few seconds then bailed when it saw sparks. Type advantage meant nothing if most of the damage came from collisions with the ground or if it couldn't hear attacks. Clapping by Winona was the signal for her partner to start glowing.

"Come on Magneton! You gotta fight back with something!"

The wind added a hefty speed boost to whatever the last attack was. My message didn't get through, but Magneton was aware of the situation. It fired quick Flash Cannon bursts which were easily dodged. Swellow flew above Winona as the wind finally died down.

"Try using Endeavor again!" Winona yelled. That was one hit that I did not want my Pokémon taking.

"Use Flash Cannon on the ground!" Minimal wind allowed for a decent makeshift smokescreen. I waited for Swellow to move. "Right and up!"

Flash Cannon was shot out quicker than usual and it found the flying type's stomach. It corkscrewed down with no signs of regaining its balance or even consciousness. Winona made a quick decision to call it back. The red flag was raised.

"The gym leader has recalled her Pokémon. By rule, that Pokémon is disqualified. Magneton wins!"

I thought she would've at least tried to snap her partner back to reality. That thing was going to cause more problems over time or force a switch in the middle of the round on my part. I internally shuddered at the thought of her using Swellow like I did during my underground days.

"Way to keep your cool and avoid Endeavor," Winona complimented. "Will you make a switch against Pelipper?"

Oof… gamesmanship at its finest. Magneton wasn't as exhausted as I thought, but it was frustrated. Its ego was bruised after getting worked over by a flying and normal type. She had something up her sleeve yet Pelipper didn't pose much of a threat on offense. It also stood on the ground waiting for the round to start.

"No."

Our referee threw up both flags. "Magneton versus Pelipper. Begin!"

"Use Thunder!"

A grin formed on Winona's face. "Protect!"

Frustration grew within me as the electrical attack failed to hit its target for the fourth time. On top of that, the stream of lightning was weaker than normal. Another one was fired out of frustration with the same result. That was enough for me.

"Return!" Magneton didn't fight the red beam. "Linoone, you're in!" He safely materialized on the ground.

"Linoone versus Pelipper. Battle!"

Growing up with one in the house proved handy since I knew using Sand Attack to gain an edge would be pointless. Keen Eye was a good ability to have but one I hated going against. Mom's Pelipper probably wasn't as fast as Winona's, but the species in general was slower than the average flying type.

"Covet!"

"Keep it away with Water Pulse!" Small balls of water shot out with each one forcing Linoone to zig zag around. His cuts were so clean that he didn't lose speed. "Switch to Protect!"

The barrier wasn't as strong as last time, but it didn't let Linoone break through. He bounced off and ended up on his back.

"Water Pulse! You have time!"

A large ring of water came out of its mouth then crashed down on my partner. The force of the water pushed him into the field before making it muddy.

"Get up and use Slash!" He quickly shook off the excess water before charging at Pelipper with a glowing claw. Hitting the side of its large beak for heavy damage was easy. "Follow up with Covet!"

"Escape with Aerial Ace!"

Linoone hitched a ride on Pelipper's back before it took to the sky. He had no fear of heights and did what he could to inflict damage. The flying type couldn't perform the attack as normal; it chose to intentionally crash so Linoone would let go. Winona tensed up.

"Quick, use Water Pulse!"

"Don't let it hit!"

One small ball of water was fired before Linoone could stand. It exploded on impact and sent him sliding across the ground near the base of the tower that held my platform. He eventually stood up but continued facing the wrong way.

"Use Pin Missile while Pelipper is down!" His response was to ram his head into the sturdy pillar. "No! Come on Linoone!"

Winona breathed a sigh of relief. "Roost!"

No amount of pleading or yelling out commands could snap Linoone out of confusion. The wind picked up again making things worse. When it looked like he was back to normal, Pelipper used Aerial Ace to land a big hit. The green flag was raised shortly after a failed attempt to stand.

"Li…e is u…ble to b…le. Pel… wins!" was all I could hear.

My perception of Pelipper as a Pokémon changed for the better after a performance like that. I didn't know it could dive bomb into the field without fainting or how quickly it could fire an attack. Mom could learn a thing or two from Winona assuming they would have time to meet. I let Magneton out after the referee signaled to me.

Honestly, it was a tough choice to make. I had hoped that enough time had passed where it would be focused enough to battle well. Thunder was going to be an instant knockout despite Pelipper roosting off most of the damage that Linoone did. Also, I didn't want to reveal other my other two Pokémon because she could plan around them.

"Magneton versus Pelipper. Start!"

"Use Metal Sound!"

Cutting down on the bullshit was my main goal. Unfortunately, Magneton didn't listen and used Thunder instead. I honestly couldn't tell if it was due to the wind, frustration from earlier about not getting an easy knockout, or that it couldn't get a feel for my plan. Winona threw up two fingers and Pelipper protected itself. I rubbed my forehead in frustration.

"You have  _got_  to be fucking kidding me!" I screamed louder than any command given during the battle; the wind died halfway through. I didn't realize how loud I actually was. Magneton looked back at me. "Oops. Now, use Thunder again!"

"Protect one more time!"

The barrier failed to materialize and Pelipper took arguably the largest streak of lighting I have ever seen Magneton launch. All the frustration had finally boiled over; the red flag went up.

"Pelipper is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

I immediately got my partner's attention and threw my hands up. "You're cool… you're cool. I'm cool now too. Okay?" It nodded then wiggled its magnets. "Alright. Keep it up. These aren't like any flying type Pokémon we've battled. They've been trained very well." Winona leaned against the tower.

"Not a lot of challengers give me credit like that the first time around. Usually they complain about something instead of realizing the possibility that they're outmatched. Glad you recognized that before you let your Pokémon lose control. That said, let's continue. Go Altaria!"

The choice was an in interesting one as it materialized on the ground. Her remaining Pokémon may not have stood a chance against Magneton, but Altaria had to be her trump card. Getting any dragon type to fully evolve was a pain in the ass because they started out so weak. Evolving Swablu was easy because everyone back at the mansion raised it while I simply finished the job. I didn't make a change knowing Magneton was mentally prepared.

"Magneton versus Altaria. Battle!"

I wanted to conserve electricity. "Tri Attack!"

"Dragon Breath!"

Both attacks collided at midfield resulting in a pile of black smoke that took up over half the field. Despite not knowing where it was, I wanted to keep the momentum up.

"Metal Sound!" The visible sound wave flew straight though the smoke. "Try Flash Cannon!" Nothing seemed to connect, but apparently there were a few close calls because Altaria shot up into the air far above the field.

"Dive down and wait for my cue!" Winona ordered while cupping her hands over her mouth.

The fluffy Pokémon tucked in its wings after propelling itself downward. Having that much confidence in her partner to do that could only be surpassed if it was against an ice type. Ramming into a steel type was insane unless it was part of a plan.

"Veer it off course with Flash Cannon! Rapid fire!"

Little energy beams were shot up only to miss each time. Altaria had excellent control and could dodge while maintaining its top speed. I waited until it was closer to go for a better option.

"Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning made it roughly five feet in the air before dying out. Repeated attempts to shoot another one failed; no electricity left in the tank. Winona put on a big smile.

"Earthquake!"

Altaria put a wing over its face then crashed into Magneton. The impact put it at least a foot into the ground; Winona's Pokémon seemingly came out unharmed. Part two of her attack was having Altaria's foot collapse the ground around my partner. Rubble covered Magneton and the referee had to run over to the miniature crater. No surprise that the green flag went up.

"Magneton is unable to battle. Altaria wins!"

Frustration made its way back into my head. How was I supposed to know that Altaria could learn Earthquake? Aggron wasn't as safe of a choice compared to a few moments ago. Why did Magneton run out of electricity? Should I have battled differently? Even without the ability to use Thunder, it would have been nice to keep it healthy for later. I reluctantly tossed out my next Pokémon.

"Altaria, you're up next!" She took a second to look around the area; pretty sure there was a twinkle in her eye. "All of this space is yours to move around."

Winona was intrigued. "First time I've seen a challenger use one. Can it keep up with mine?"

"Excitement of an open field plus an opponent who can fly. She's been waiting for something like this."

The wind picked up as gusts tuned into a constant yet heavy stream. Luckily for me, it was a crosswind as opposed to blowing directly in my face. Our referee started the cadence then resigned to throwing up the flags.

It didn't come as a surprise that Winona immediately ordered her Altaria to ascend. Mine matched the intensity. They were battling for position until Winona made an "x" with her arms. Her partner kicked it up another notch and created more separation. A quick Dragon Breath after stopping and squaring its body caught us by surprise; my Altaria took a direct hit before moving to the side.

"Use Dragon Pulse!" I ordered knowing it was stronger.

Unfortunately, I still held out hope that Altaria could hear me. She countered with her own Dragon Breath which was easily dodged. Battling reverted back into a chase with Winona's Altaria showing off its experience in the Fortree sky. It rode the winds well compared to my Pokémon flapping her wings harder to stabilize herself. It was also clear that she was slowing down. They eventually got so high up that the battle was on autopilot.

One thing I noticed was that there were no other attacks fired besides Dragon Breath from Winona's Pokémon. Mine had mixed in a combination of its three attacking moves with little success; Fly was useless because she was too slow to attack from above. To my surprise, my Altaria retreated to the ground. The wind had died down enough where hand signals weren't necessary.

"Fire another Dragon Breath!" Winona ordered.

"Dodge and use Dragon Pulse!"

Heavy panting prevented an effective dodge and she took the brunt of the attack before putting up her wings. She dug deep down to fly off to the side and retaliate with the stronger attack. It was a direct hit that was short lived due to delayed paralysis from Dragon Breath. It was a miracle she hadn't collapsed.

"Altaria, return!"

My right arm and hand were trembling from nervousness after giving myself time to breathe. I had no clear plan to take her ace down with what I had left. Losing would entail climbing up through the gym again for a rematch. How Winona kept her wits battling a mile above sea level was beyond me, let alone any challenger who defeated her. One time was enough.

"Adrenaline is an amazing thing. It allows Pokémon and humans to do things that they thought were impossible. The drawback is that rush only lasts for so long before a complete crash. I was surprised that it kept up with mine for so long. It's like the adrenaline never went away," Winona noted.

"Like I said, she's been waiting for something like this. Now she can get a break."

"Who's left?"

I put on a confident face. "Aggron, I choose you!"

Earthquake was the wild card that I had to gamble on. Coming from an Altaria, it wasn't going to be as deadly compared to a ground type using it. Also, Altaria as a species didn't have a lot going in the physical attack department. Aggron had a lot of defense to take at least one hit. The problem was a quadruple weakness to it.

"Aggron versus Altaria. Go!"

One hit was all I needed. "Rock Slide!"

"Dodge then Roost!"

There was too much open space for Rock Slide to work. Aggron stomped on the ground to shoot field chunks up while Altaria flew away. Larger ones didn't have the momentum to get high enough and smaller ones didn't hurt it that much. It landed in the right corner on Winona's side of the field to recover from its earlier injuries.

"We'll have to take the fight to them! Use Double-Edge!" The charging speed was nothing compared to what was seen last round.

"Cotton Guard!"

Just like mine, the wings grew fluffier as it tucked its head away. Aggron threw his right shoulder square into the body of the flying dragon for what he thought was a big hit. Instead, Altaria rolled behind Winona's stand then poked its head out; at least there was a wince.

"Follow up with Iron Tail!" A quick jump then swipe at Altaria did less damage after throwing up a wing. It still went a few inches into the hard ground.

"Should've thought that one through. Earthquake!"

Its tiny blue foot deepened the indent to the point where Aggron was swallowed up. All the loose rubble and extra pressure on top of him made him roar in pain. Things weren't in my favor.

"Aggron, get back! Altaria, you're back in!

Natural Cure had worked its magic since she was no longer paralyzed. However, it didn't look like she got enough rest. Somewhat labored breathing and droopy wings were dead giveaways; she still had the will to fight in her eyes.

"Altaria versus Altaria. Begin!"

"We need to wrap this up now! Dragon Pulse!" I ordered.

"Dragon Breath!" Winona replied.

Her partner took flight again to shoot a blast of green fire. Dragon Pulse cancelled it out and created a smokescreen. My Altaria ducked down instead of flying after her opponent. I thought it was a smart move considering she couldn't keep up even at full strength.

"Hold on a bit longer!" I waited for Winona's Altaria to get complacent. "Now! Fly up and use Dragon Pulse!"

She put a lot of effort to get near her double before firing the attack at close range. The hold item's glow snuck through the cracks in her wings which got Winona's attention. It created a small distraction that helped land the hit. Not enough for a knockout.

I went for a risk. "Switch between Dragon Breath and Dragon Pulse! Don't let it rest!"

"Wait to strike back!"

Blast after blast was fired as fast as possible. Small wind gusts came back again that worked against us. When her target got too far away, Altaria hovered closer to the ground and stopped firing. Her breathing had become labored again. Winona saw the scheme and planned accordingly.

"Charge in from above with Dragon Breath! You're fast enough to do it!

Firing up at the sky caused disorientation because every attack missed the incoming Pokémon. My Altaria shook her head but couldn't defend herself in time for Dragon Breath. She wobbled around the field before plopping to the ground. The green flag took longer to raise than I thought.

"The ch…ger's Alt..a is una…e to b…le. The gym le…r's Alt…a wins!" was what I heard through the wind.

Nuanced battling was no longer an option. It was going to be an ugly, grind-it-out battle until one of us lost our remaining Pokémon. Despite her having Earthquake on her side, Winona didn't look like she wanted to rely on raw power to win. I silently called out Aggron as my last hope. Nearly every ounce of energy and every inch of my brain was dedicated to keeping calm.

Aggron turned to me looking for any of my usual motivation. I wasn't sure if he understood that my orders might not have been able to reach him. Wind or no wind, he understood when I pointed at Altaria then made a fist with my right hand and repeatedly punched my left palm. I shrugged my shoulders with my arms outstretched as a bonus. He put on a big grin.

"A…n ver..s Alt…a. Battle!"

Rock Slide got the round started as it forced Altaria in the air again. However, he put a little more power into the attack and got a sizable rock to slip through the puffy wings. Winona put up a different hand signal before her Pokémon flew behind Aggron. Roosting was short-lived as he turned around then charged in with Iron Head.

For a Pokémon his size, Aggron apparently didn't mind running wind sprints. Altaria couldn't stay grounded enough to recover and its fatigue showed. I found the choice to heal over using Earthquake odd with another Pokémon in reserve. Eventually, Altaria attacked the same way it did with Magneton.

Iron Head combined with a small jump made the boost from an earlier Cotton Guard useless. The flying dragon veered off course and crash landed to the side. Aggron took advantage by rushing over to use Iron Tail. One wing was put up to reduce the damage, but the tail grazed it and most of the force went straight to the head. The red flag went up as the wind died down.

"Altaria is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"

How sweet it was to hear those words. Winona didn't look as confident compared the beginning of the battle. She took some time to stare at her ace's ball.

"Looks like nerves won out in the end. Roosting all over the field was supposed to tire Aggron out so that it couldn't properly defend itself. I didn't even want Earthquake done like that because I was afraid of what Aggron did. It's been a long time since the wind worked against me."

Glad to know that even gym leaders' Pokémon choked too. If Altaria went for a foot stomp Earthquake at a distance instead of trying to inflict the most damage possible, the round would've turned out much different. Both of our backs were against the wall.

"I'm a little surprised that you didn't save your best for last." My voice was finally shot from the extra volume put into my orders.

"You'll see why I had to make that choice. Skarmory, you're up," she sighed. Steel and flying versus steel and rock; one of ugliest type matchups in the world. Calling the final round a slugfest was an understatement. I slammed my fist on the podium.

"You got this Aggron! We've come too far to lose! A rematch means more backtracking and less time figuring out how to save Latias!"

I immediately realized my secret had slipped out. Despite the raspy voice, Winona's face showed she heard me yet didn't push the issue. Our referee threw up both flags.

"Aggron versus Skarmory. Start!" I punched my palm again to save my voice.

It was a miracle that no spectators were there to witness how truly awful the final round was. Air Cutter and Aerial Ace may as well have been completely useless against Aggron. Steel Wing wasn't that much better. Winona pulled a page out of my book by using Sand Attack to delay the battle for as long as possible.

Aggron rotated attacks whenever Skarmory swooped down to fling sand in its direction or hit it with Steel Wing. Unfortunately, he was running out of gas. There was a point where he refused to attack to conserve energy. I got an idea then waited patiently.

"Use Steel Wing!" It came in aiming for the head which made the plan harder to execute.

"Grab it!" I rasped. Both arms caught Skarmory's right wing. "Slam it down!"

The steel bird turned into a hammer as Aggron swung as hard as he could. It struggled to get up and a quick Rock Slide made sure it stayed down. We weren't going to let it slip away.

"Skarmory is unable to battle. Aggron wins! This match goes to the challenger!" My podium slowly went back to field level before I hopped off and sprinted to Aggron pumping my fist in the air.

"Yeaaaaah! Let's go! Let's fucking go! That's what I'm talking about!" I yelled with what little voice I had left.

The experience left me lightheaded and I passed out a few feet from him. When I came to, Winona and the referee were standing over me by my waist. Aggron was at my head but looking up at wild Pokémon in the distance.

"He's awake! Ryan! Ryan! Are you alright?" Winona asked.

I put out my arm. "What happened?"

Everyone helped me over to a bench where I sat down to recover. I was handed a bottle of water and a paper bag to control my breathing. Aggron breathed a sigh of relief as I called him back. Winona looked like she felt bad about what happened.

"Air up here is thinner compared to the rest of Hoenn. Constant yelling and the excitement of battling can take their toll on trainers not used to the altitude. Pokémon can hold their own for the most part. I've still seen it happen a few times. Is there anything else I can get you?" the referee asked.

"Nope. And thanks for helping me over."

"No problem. If you'll excuse me, I have to finish my paperwork and assess the damage to the field. Winona can escort you back down after taking the satchel."

"Cool. I'm ready to head out."

Winona gently grabbed my arm as I stood up. "Relax here for a bit longer," she softly urged.

Taking her advice proved to be a good idea. I ended up lying on my back staring into the mostly clear and sunny sky before choosing to take a short nap. Eventually, I woke up on my own feeling more refreshed. Winona was still next to me.

"Feeling better?"

"That nap hit the spot. Guess the mental fatigue got to me more than I thought."

She looked over at the field. "Norman and I are always in first or second place for the highest first-time victory rate. He prefers testing trainers by using raw power, I prefer to take trainers way out of their comfort zone. It was hard for you to battle up here, wasn't it?" Her voice was very comforting.

"In more ways than one. After a few bad experiences, I've developed a fear of flying and mild fear of heights. Then there was the wind drowning out my voice; never had to deal with that before," I replied. She turned back to me.

"It's part of the reason why I want trainers to battle on this field. Noise at the Ever Grande City main stadiums can be deafening. The least I can do is expose trainers to that element before the big stage."

I remembered all the battles I watched on television and how loud it was. Hand signals were something I hadn't thought about at the time, but it was worth looking at older videos. Letting my Pokémon battle on their own under normal conditions was fine because I still could make calls. Feeling completely helpless during a battle was something I didn't want to deal with again.

"Makes sense." We sat in silence until I felt comfortable enough to stand. "When is your next flying class for beginners?"

Winona pulled out a PokéNav. "Tomorrow at noon assuming no challengers. It's in the gym so I can wear my newer, lighter flying attire."

"Perfect."

I waited for Winona to grab the satchel then she led me back to the staircase. She turned around before going down and pulled out a small white case.

"As the leader of the Fortree Gym, I hereby present you with the Feather Badge. The TM discs for Roost and Aerial Ace are yours to keep too. Congratulations!"

Her genuine sincerity was too good for me; that was my worst performance in any battle by far. It also served as a wake-up call that I needed to find at least one more Pokémon before my next badge. A win was still a win no matter how ugly it was.

The long walk down back to the main part of the gym felt quicker than coming up. We started off quiet but slowly worked in small talk about the battle. She didn't mention Latias, but I couldn't tell if she forgot or she intentionally left it alone. Getting her back from Ardos might have to involve flying.

I couldn't afford to be scared.


	25. Newfound Confidence

Sliding down to the gym entrance was a nice little reward for making challengers climb to the top. It was broken up into three segments and the surfaces were essentially one giant smooth rock making the process easy. The person at the gym entrance registered me for Winona's flying class before I made my way back to Sadie's apartment.

I decided to take it slow and enjoy the scenery on the way to Sadie's place from the Pokémon Center. The outdoor field was further away than I thought yet the top half of the podium towers were clearly visible. Someone could've watched from afar if they didn't want to make the long walk and had binoculars. I appreciated the bridges connecting the upper part of the city and just how everything worked. People put in a lot of effort to reap the benefits of nature while leaving a decent amount untouched.

Sadie's front door was surprisingly unlocked when I got to her place. She was watching television on the futon when I walked in.

"Took the day off?" I asked.

"Yup. I figured it would be worth it. How'd your battle go?"

I pulled out the badge. "Came away with a win. It was an ugly battle."

"Hey, it still counts. What's your plan moving forward?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could stay another night. Winona is having a flying class tomorrow. After that, I'm heading out." A knock at the door came when I finished. "Are you expecting someone?"

My sister hopped up. "I am. Just a little surprised about the early arrival though."

A quick burst of paranoia swept through me. What if it was someone from Pokémon Services? Jen was the face of their public relations department and could've come to Fortree to promote the business. She had a persuasive attitude, so a personal in-home visit wasn't too farfetched. Oddly enough, a Pelipper stood in the doorway after she moved to the side.

"Look who it is! Come on in!" Sadie happily exclaimed. I didn't understand what was going on even as it waddled over to me.

"Am I missing something?"

"Remember how you wanted to send items back home through the mail?" I nodded. "I figured I could help you out. Mom usually sends Pelipper when I want to send things home right away, so I gave her a call. Don't worry about your gift being spoiled."

I picked it up. "It's so good to see you!" A happy cry with its eyes closed was its response.

Sadie urged us to go outside. "Sorry, somebody is sleeping in my room. Besides, there's a lot more space outside for introductions. Take this pen and paper if you want to write a note."

We let out Pokémon it was familiar with to complete the reunion. Castform was happy to see it, but nowhere near excited as Linoone. He spazzed out at the sight of Pelipper by running circles around it then rolled on the ground in excitement. Linoone bounced in place while talking to it before climbing on its back; he always liked flying on it as a Zigzagoon. Magneton was still upset about the gym battle but eventually let it go to enjoy some catching up while I wrote my note.

_Sadie probably told you a lot about me, but she didn't tell you that I got you guys presents! There are three TM discs attached to this note: Overheat, Roost, and Aerial Ace. Torkoal could benefit from Overheat in a pinch but be aware that using it lowers its special attacking power after each time. Mom, you'll have a move that can do some damage and another one to heal it off. Keep them and use them anytime you want. Love you!_

_-Ryan_

Pelipper took the discs wrapped in the note after it was done playing around. I was confident it wouldn't swallow anything because the package was for my parents and it probably didn't taste good. On the off chance it did swallow, it would spit the everything back up. We waved it away as it took off into the sky.

"You gave them two more discs?" Sadie asked.

"Mom could probably make better use of Roost and Aerial Ace than I could."

About forty-five minutes had passed since Pelipper's arrival and it wasn't quite time for dinner. We walked back inside after recalling our Pokémon to see Sadie's door open and the bathroom door closed. She casually sat on the futon to watch her show.

"Aren't you going to tell me who's here?" I asked before I got lost in what was on.

She smiled. "Nah."

The sound of the toilet flushing and sink running took my attention off the television. When the door opened, I had to do a double take.

"No way…" I whispered. "Why the fuck did you hide this from me!? Lucas! What are you doing here?" He nodded then came in for a hug.

"Hoenn's national Pokéathlon team is in Fortree to train for a few weeks this offseason. I've been 'busting my ass in practice' since that favor you did for me just over a year ago. Honestly, a lot has changed in that time."

I was glad he never told anyone about the 15,000P I gave to him so he could go to his first tournament. Safe to say my parents would've tried to pay me back after that considering that was nearly half of my bank account at the time. I internally shuddered at how Sadie would've reacted back then.

"That's great! Are you staying here or in a hotel?"

"Hotel. I wanted to visit home, but it's too far away and we don't have  _that_  much free time. I have another surprise for you too." His partner in crime materialized looking much different.

"You motherfucker," I said with a big smile. "Manectric is going to dominate in the speed events."

"Absolutely. The evolution happened in the locker room after the last match of the season."

I called out Linoone again. "My mischief maker evolved too." Both of them took a minute to process the new evolutions then begged to go outside.

"Don't you also have a Magnemite?"

" _Had_  one. Also evolved." All of them bolted outside when I opened the door. "They'll tire themselves out. Why don't you show me some highlights? I haven't been able to watch any on the road."

Lucas bounced around from video to video on Sadie's laptop showing off his best. The amateur circuit's video quality was awful, but I still saw him dominate in each performance. He took a break to tell me how he got called up to the professional team and how he's been a fringe athlete ever since. Most of his professional matches were just like our unofficial family motto: a lot of heart and skill but couldn't get over the hump. For those few times he did win a speed event, I saw the unadulterated joy on his face.

Sadie wanted a family dinner which meant she had to go to the mart for more food. I gave her the money and told her she could take Aggron to help carry things. Lucas waited a few minutes after she left before pausing the current video.

"Ryan, you know a lot more about Pokémon than I do. Is Manectric really going to cut it? There's a good chance we'll be cut before the season starts up again."

"Based on speed alone, it should be fine."

He pulled up clips of a five-year veteran and her Rapidash from Johto. "This is what I'm up against and she finished in the middle of the pack this past season. She also won an individual speed title two years ago."

"Let me give you some advice. You may have heard this from your coaches, but bear with me. Focus on bettering yourself because that's what you can control. All you can do is train until the deadline and see what happens. Despite our different paths, we're in the same boat."

My bother looked hesitant to take my advice. "We'll see since training continues tomorrow. I'm shooting for a guaranteed one-year contract at the minimum. Stability of nay kind is a good thing in the world of an athlete but it's really hard to come by."

"Having a specific goal in mind will help keep you focused."

"Also trying to avoid a sophomore slump," Lucas added.

Dinnertime came quicker than expected since we went back to watching highlights. Aggron ended up carrying most of the bags which put a frown on his face. Everyone got rounded up outside so they all could eat together; everyone on my team got a double serving of food for their effort in gym battles. It didn't come as a surprise that they fell into a food coma shortly after; they didn't even notice getting sucked back in.

We traded stories from the best of times to the bullshit that had to be dealt with. As usual, I had to hold back with the whole Latias incident and the fact I had a mansion. The weird part was that my life still seemed normal in comparison Lucas'. Being a professional athlete made for all kinds of stories, so we let him talk as long as he wanted.

"Unfortunately, it's getting close to curfew. I have to head out," Lucas said.

"Really? That's dumb," Sadie replied.

"That's one of the downsides of being a pro athlete. Here's my number before I go. I didn't think you guys got PokéNavs."

I started to input the number. "A trainer that doesn't have even the most basic one is in for a rough journey."

"Helps me at work too since it's more advanced. There's only a landline phone at home," Sadie added. "Maybe we could convince at least dad to get one."

"If we can all meet up at home, we can do it then. No way you guys want to play tech support over the phone," I said. Lucas gave Sadie a farewell hug then turned to me.

"You better make it to Ever Grande City because I want to see the results of  _your_  training," he teased followed by a hug. He walked into the night with Manectric beside him.

Seeing him was a major confidence booster.

* * *

Falling asleep took longer than usual. Even the idea of flying in a relatively safe environment still had me nervous. Why was I so scared? Altaria always made sure I was comfortable when flying on her back. She also caught me well before I hit the ground after Latios' vision caused me to fall off. It took a lot of effort to shrug it off before saying goodbye to Sadie and going to the gym after breakfast.

Four others were waiting on the ground floor before class started. A male trainer that looked no older than thirteen years old, a middle-aged couple, and a female trainer my age were the participants. The gym assistant that I didn't battle was preparing the area when Winona walked over.

She was wearing something I didn't even know was considered a flight suit. Light turquoise for the outer layer, helmet, and shoes while her pants and gloves were white. It was a sharp contrast to the lime-colored lenses on her goggles. Makeshift wings went from the bottom of her pants to the knees before angling slightly upward behind her. The helmet allowed for her hair to sick out the side in a unique pattern and there was a gap on the top of the back of her top to show off another wing pattern and a small amount of skin. Same went for the front.

If anyone needed proof she cared about her job, it was staring them in the face. It was less bulky compared to what she wore during our match and it was a little warm in the gym. My face was also warm if not visibly red but I could at least blame that on the heat. Flashbacks of prom season four years ago came to the forefront of my mind. She was grace and elegance personified. I hoped she hadn't noticed.

"Welcome to my flight class for beginners! Before we start, how many of you have flown on a Pokémon's back as a passenger?" Everyone raised their hand. "Good! The focus of this class is to make sure you and your Pokémon stay safe and comfortable when flying as the pilot. I'll be using Tropius as my partner."

The large grass and flying type stood confidently while surveying everyone. Using it in battle would've saved me a lot of trouble if it replaced Skarmory or Altaria. It eventually lowered its head so Winona could get on.

"Call out your partner and wait for my instructions," Winona said.

Variety was more prevalent compared to Flannery's yoga class. The trainer my age had a Pidgeot, the couple had a Tropius of their own plus a Skarmory, and the young boy had what he said was his parents' Flygon. Altaria gave me a confused head tilt when she materialized.

"You're fine, girl. I've been scared to fly for too long and I'm doing something about it. Do you want to fly around like when we first met?" I whispered. She nodded then rubbed against me. It was a quick sequence, but Winona definitely saw it. She eventually got everyone's attention.

The first half of the class was lecture based. Points were written on a whiteboard by the assistant and were then demonstrated by Winona. Most of it was simple stuff like making sure the rider is not tired while flying or recognizing when a Pokémon is struggling to stay airborne or even staying awake. It was nice to have a refresher. After some minor questions were answered, Winona pointed to us.

"Now for the activity portion. First, mount your Pokémon then make sure both of you are comfortable." That part was easy. "Next, ask your partner to hover in place. We want them to get warmed up."

The initial liftoff wasn't a problem since we were only five feet off the ground. Altaria looked back to make sure I was okay; I gave her a rub on the middle of her neck. Winona waited about five minutes before proceeding.

"We're going to do a few laps around the gym in a line then come back here. Follow me!"

She started off as low as possible without making us dodge any stumps or quick movements. I was simply looking ahead and keeping my mind blank. Lap two was slightly faster although still close to the ground. Panic set in on lap three where we went a little higher but went slow; my hands slowly dug into Altaria's side. The fourth lap took a lot of effort to keep my eyes open as it was high elevation and higher speed. Luckily, it was also the last one.

"Perfect! You have two choices for this next part. You can continue to take a few laps if you're still not comfortable or you can come with me for handling obstacles." I was the only one that took more laps.

I was slightly more confident the sixth time around and Altaria was loving the extended flying time. Speeding up was something I was hesitant to do but I eventually did it in short bursts. Those bursts got longer until I ended with three straight fast laps. I hadn't been paying attention to Winona's other drill while flying around and didn't understand when the trainer my age was done.

"What are we doing?" I asked while looking at a duffle bag full of rubber bouncy balls the size of a tennis ball.

"A simple exercise. I want you to fly around on Altaria while I lob these in the air. I'll start off easy then my assistant on the other side will throw them harder or more than one at a time."

"Seems a little weird."

She pointed up. "The sky isn't always empty and Hoenn isn't under a roof. If you fly high enough, you might run into Pokémon."

"Tell me about it," I mouthed after turning around to face Altaria.

"Just move left or right first and try to stay low. Here we go!"

Everyone was essentially watching me play dodgeball except I couldn't fire back. Slow underhand lobs turned into overhand ones. Her fastest speed was the equivalent of baseball players long tossing; enough distance to get to me but a lot less velocity.

Altaria had fluid movements which made the experience easier. Not once did I feel like I was going to fall off. I felt guilty for not trusting her since our encounter with Latios.

"Round two coming up! Move in any direction," Winona yelled up after the balls were gathered up by her assistant. There was no mercy.

He chucked them harder than I expected. As soon as Altaria would go to the left, he threw to the left. Going up? He threw higher. A few hit us since he started anticipating where my Pokémon would go. I dug into Altaria's side and sped up my breathing as her movements became less precise. There was a small victory near the end when I loosened my grip and calmed down.

"We've got a little time left if anyone wants to go again. Otherwise, we're all done," Winona said after I landed. I raised my hand.

"Me… after everyone else. I just went." Nobody wanted another try. "Both of you can throw however you want."

The assistant stepped forward. "How would you feel about flying around more while we try to hit you? It's something for the advanced class."

"Go for it," I replied feeling confident after the previous outing.

Neither of them held back on their throws and even Tropius kicked some up. I actually smiled as I dodged the first dozen or so balls. One grazed my arm from behind and I started to pay more attention to the assistant since he had the angle. A few more got Altaria on the wings so she started leaning right while going up. Her speed never decreased and I really dug into her; she yelped then slowed down.

"No more! I think I'm good," I yelled down.

They stopped and started rounding up the balls while I went to land. It wasn't as bad as I thought but keeping cool was going to take time. A slight tilt like that shouldn't have been a problem.

"I'm sorry Altaria. Hold still for a second," I urged.

Rubbing the spots where I dug in made her feel better over time. I gave her a lot of credit for not throwing me off even if it was by pure reaction. She had a lot more confidence in me than I thought.

"Glad you all could come! That's it for today!" Winona said. I continued to comfort my partner when she walked over to me. "Hey Ryan! Do you have a second?"

I recalled Altaria. "What's up?"

"Would you mind coming into my office? I'd to talk to you about something." She had a hint of concern in her voice.

"Um, okay? Where is it."

"Fortree's Tree Tower. It's on the far southeast side to guide those coming from Lilycove; can't miss it. I'll meet you there."

The place was built on the biggest tree in the entire city and its modern look came as a surprise. The birdcage style lift was still made of heavy wood. Winona eventually came flying in on Altaria. She had changed into a plain long-sleeved white shirt and more comfortable pants. The thing that got me the most was her hair. It was down to her waist without a ponytail and the sides still held that winged look.

"I saw the lift but wasn't sure if anything else needed to be done," I said, trying not to let my face get too red.

"There's a door up there that I have to unlock. Also, you can fly up if you want."

"Maybe next time," I sighed.

Despite how large it was, there wasn't too much inside. A small lobby with a few couches broke off into three hallways. The right one led to a bathroom and a storage room, the center one led to a large modern conference room, and the left one went to Winona's office.

It was a typical looking space with the standard office furniture and equipment. Unlike Wattson, she kept everything tidy from the trinkets on her desk to the posters behind her. She also had a nice view of the city. I took a seat in front of her desk while she sat down.

"Last night, I couldn't stop thinking about our battle. I'm concerned for you," she softly said. I didn't know how to take that.

"Why? I'm just not a fan of heights."

Winona nodded. "Fair point but more specifically, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said near the end of the match and afterward."

"Okay?" I replied, pretending to play dumb.

"First, I'd like to know about your bad flying experiences. I think anyone that has a strong enough bond with their Pokémon to fly on it should be able to enjoy the experience."

Keeping certain details out was nothing new to me. "I flew from Mauville to Fallarbor on a Skarmory as my first ride; that was fine. My second time in the air resulted in a crash landing on route 114 because we were being attacked."

"By trained or wild Pokémon? Was it an accident or on purpose?"

"Trained and on purpose. Not even a debate," I bluntly answered.

"Do you remember how the crash happened?"

She was putting me through the ringer, yet I felt comfortable talking to her. "Nosedived. Skarmory took most of the impact and I tumbled along the ground after being thrown off."

Winona put her hands on the back of her head and leaned back. "Whew… trial by fire."

"At least I went back to flying two days later. The second incident was what made me stop." It took a few seconds to realize I had a slip of the tongue.

"Honestly, it's impressive that you went back to flying so quickly. What happened the second time?"

Making up a story on the spot was pointless. Winona was doing her job by helping me overcome my fear and was going to keep asking questions I didn't have answers for. There was still hope to minimize the damage.

"Let me answer your question with a question. Have you personally seen the Eon duo flying around Hoenn?"

A set of glass figurines were taken out of a drawer in her desk. "These were made by the artist who makes the winning trainer's team after the tournament is over. Even with a league discount, they cost a decent amount of money. My Pokémon love them just as much as I do. But there are two that I love the most." She went back in to get Latias and Latios figurines that were in display cases. A picture was handed to me.

"The artist did a good job. No offense, but your picture isn't exactly crystal clear."

Both Pokémon looked to be perched on top of the support beams for the trainer podiums. They also appeared to be looking at the camera. It was mildly surprising to see them so close to the ground in what appeared to be the middle of the day.

"It's better than most other pictures out there. As soon as I left my office, they were gone. Anyway, where are you going with this?"

"Just wanted to see if you knew about them," I replied. "Feel free to believe me or not, but I ran into Latios high in the air around Mauville City."

Her eyes lit up. "That's awesome!"

"No, it wasn't!" I yelled while trying not to break out into a cold sweat. "It showed me a vision that I wasn't prepared for and I fell off Altaria. If she wasn't fast enough to catch me, I was going to die!" My heart rate jumped and breathing became quicker.

Winona waited a few second to process my experience. She remained calm as I simmered down and eventually let out a big sigh.

"I'm sorry you went through that," she sincerely said. "Falling off from that high up is something that affects even the most experienced flyers. If it's any consolation, it has happened to me."

"R... really?"

She nodded. "I got caught in a storm on the way to Ever Grande City when I first got the job a few years back. Swirling winds knocked me off Skarmory and into the choppy waters on route 128. Even now, I try to avoid flying east of Lilycove if the sky isn't clear."

It went silent when she finished. Why did I assume she never went through that? Hell, I didn't even think she had a single bad experience based on how much she loved flying. I thought I did a good job of hiding things.

"By the way, what did you see that caused you to fall off? I've heard stories from Liza about receiving visions from psychic types but nothing like that."

Just like that, I was past the point of no return. Norman had a hunch that something was wrong with Pokémon services, but I didn't feel comfortable telling him the whole story. Winona was the best person unfamiliar with the situation to come clean to; she had that aura of a person anyone could trust. I took a deep breath then leaned back.

"There's something going on with Pokémon Services that involves a Latias being a prisoner."

Winona let me talk without interruption. She kept a stone face as I told her about my relationship with Pokémon Services, being attacked in the mountains of route 114, the battle after first crash, Latias bringing me to the doctor's house, the second attack on the way back to town which led to my escape and her capture.

"Going to the police with me saying 'these guys attacked me and stole Latias' with no evidence other than my word is dumb. Besides, they've already visited on an unrelated call and found nothing wrong." The anger that I had suppressed finally boiled over. "I don't know where she is! My only plan is to get stronger, somehow find her, and free her myself!" I screamed while punching the chair's arm.

Letting my frustration out felt amazing. The gym leader remained still long after I finished hyperventilating. I was so distracted that I almost jumped out my seat when she reached for a piece of paper.

"Are you really alone in all of this?"

She snapped me out of my rage. "N… no," I sighed. "But now I'm not sure if I want anyone else involved. This is my fight." The paper was handed to me after she wrote something down; it was her PokéNav number.

"It's my fight too."

I didn't take my eyes off the paper. "You're taking me seriously?"

"Yes. A description of events with that much detail should be taken seriously. I believe you."

It felt like a small amount of stress was gone with someone like her in my corner. However, I was hesitant to give her the numbers of everyone else on my side right away. Maddie wasn't as comfortable as she used to be plus I didn't want her knowing about Jack and Rebecca being my housekeepers. I put my head in my hands.

"Can I call or text you tomorrow night?"

Her chair squeaked then I heard footsteps. A soft touch on my back made me flinch and then she patted it like Aggron did to Altaria. The patting turned to a back rub; I nearly fell asleep because it was so soothing.

"Of course. I'm free for the rest of the afternoon if you want to keep talking or if you want to rest here," she cooed. I gave it a few more minutes before standing up.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. You gave me some confidence to at least fly straight so I'm going to test it." A light bulb went off in my head. "Do you know if there's a treehouse shop that sells flowers or trinkets?"

She went over the window and pointed. "Not too far from here. It's got a light blue banner out front when you walk by."

"Prefect. Talk to you soon."

Winona escorted me back to the ground then waved goodbye. I still had a hard time processing the idea that she willingly injected herself into a potentially dangerous situation. Was she simply obligated to because she was a gym leader or was it something more? She made it sound personal by telling me it was her fight too. I eventually found the shop with a father and daughter that looked eight years old sitting at the register.

"Looking for anything?" the father asked.

"Got any flowers?"

The daughter's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Ooh! I know!" She sprinted to the opposite side of the shop and brought back something covered in her arms. "Ta-dah!"

It was a colorful flower crown. I would've preferred a bouquet, but it was really hard to turn down the little girl. There was a small twinkle in her eyes as I looked it over; she probably made it herself.

"Well this looks great! I'll take it!" I said with playful enthusiasm. Paying for something never felt so wholesome. Altaria was let out on the ground level after I finished preparations.

"Let's go for a ride, shall we?"

Despite her excitement, she kept a slow pace relatively close to the ground. The line between Fortree and route 120 was clear as the sea of trees below turned into dirt paths or tall patches of grass. A few trainers were battling by the south pond, so I forced myself to look down; an unexpected stray attack was something I wanted no part of. We eventually veered southeast until we were at the dock of Mount Pyre.

The place was nearly empty although it was the middle of the afternoon. Even the Pokémon inside the mountain base didn't feel like coming out to cause mischief. Climbing to the top was almost as easy as going to Ellis' funeral. I recalled Altaria once we reached the last flight of stairs.

A thin layer of fog covered the summit as I made my way over to the right side. I caught a glimpse of a Vulpix blankly staring at me while walking. The rustling in the grass picked up and I turned around to see it slightly closer to me. Its ears perked up following a head tilt. Curiosity gave way to instinct as it trotted in the other direction.

Doctor Ellis' gravesite was empty; a stark contrast to what it looked like at the service. Regardless if the staff had to maintain it or nature took the mementos away, it was a depressing sight to see for a man who had helped so many people. I did my best to place the flower crown around the tombstone then took a step back.

"Sorry I didn't bring anything the first time. Hope this makes up for that," I mumbled to the ground. "The good news is that everything you worked so hard for is in good hands. Taking Jack and Rebecca under your wing had to be two of the best decisions in your life."

I ended up sitting in front of the tombstone just staring ahead. How I wish he were alive to see how much I had grown as a person since the night he took care of me. There was no doubt he would've been happy to see Altaria again. Small clouds covering up the sun allowed me to lie down on my back with my hands behind my head.

"Please forgive me for losing Latias. If you spent your final days worrying about her… I'm sorry. I'll do whatever it takes to get her back but it's going to take some time."

After getting up to bow, I went to the single empty plot on the highest point. Long ago, builders dedicated a spot for anyone to pay their respects. The land could never be purchased to bury a Pokémon or human and the blank headstone would never have anything engraved on it.

"Here lies my past ignorance of Pokémon Services and past failures," I said before spitting on the stone.

Walking away felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Making the trip exclusively by flight also got me excited to ride on Altaria again. With a clearer mind, I went to the left side of the mountain to see if I could catch a new teammate. What I assumed was the same Vulpix made another appearance behind me with its head peeking out from a bush.

"Vulpix! What are you doing? It's not nice to sneak up on people like that," a man in his late twenties said while walking in front of me. He was shorter yet more muscular than me.

"No problem here," I responded.

"Maybe to you. Little runt likes to wander off a lot even though I've had it for two years. I think my older brother did a bad job of raising it before he moved."

The fire type hesitantly walked back to its trainer's side. I didn't know if the fog was playing tricks on me, but it looked a little underweight. Its legs also looked ridiculously toned. Must've been because it ran around a lot.

"Sounds like you need some help," I casually said. The man got right up in my face.

"You callin' me a bad trainer?"

He probably could've kicked my ass, so I tried to keep the sass to a minimum. "No."

"I think you are. Better yet, I'll prove you wrong. Let's battle." He had a short fuse; another ball was pulled from his pocked.

"Duking it out here is a bad idea. Around the Safari Zone is better," I urged.

"Fine by me.  _I'll_  lead the way."

The arrogance oozed out of him the entire way down to the bottom. He told me he was a dock worker in Lilycove and how he was the most efficient crate mover. If Vulpix didn't look back at me every so often, I would've completely zoned out. A ferry took us to route 121 where we found a safe place to battle.

"We'll make this a double battle," he said. I tried not to roll my eyes.

"Sure. Just two against two?"

"I only have two Pokémon, so yeah. Vulpix, Machamp, here we go!"

Wonderful… a fighting type that could easily rip my team apart. If he just used it for moving crates around, then it may not have been as strong as one with more battle experience. Vulpix took its place with its head down.

"My pair will be Altaria and Magneton!"

The combination of those two would at least allow me to get a hit off. Machamp didn't waiver in the face of Altaria which was admirable and concerning. I've seen Steven's Metagross at least grunt at the sight of ground or fire types on television.

"Time for our strategy! Vulpix, use Will-O-Wisp on Machamp! After the burn, use Façade!"

Holy shit… I couldn't tell if that was a genius move or just insane. Guts boosted Façade from any Machamp was going to put a dent in something. My best chance was to minimize the damage.

"Cotton Guard, Altaria! Magneton, slow it down with Flash Cannon!"

Machamp embraced the small flames before running ahead. Altaria tucked her head in and her wings grew bigger. Flash Cannon scored a direct hit, but it didn't do much to stop the rush. Two arms were raised over its head then came down on Magneton when it was close enough. It took a hard hit then got back up. A wince came from the fighting type as it reset itself.

"Vulpix, cover Machamp with Flamethrower! Machamp, use Dual Chop on Altaria!"

Another rough combination. "Dragon Pulse to keep it at bay and Thunder to counter Flamethrower!"

Magneton fired first which forced a quick response from the fire type. Both attacks met halfway while Altaria poked her head out to fire short bursts at the fighting type that was still on fire. The seemingly fearless Machamp's arms glowed as it powered through the blast to land two hits. Altaria moved behind Magneton but stayed close to me and Machamp geared up for another round. The other two attacks were holding steady until I saw a chance.

"Stop using Thunder and get out of the way!" I called out. Magneton immediately responded by floating to the left.

"Look out!"

Machamp was too slow turning around and took the full force of the Flamethrower. Between the initial burn, Dragon Pulse, and Flash Cannon, it didn't get back up when the attack stopped. My opponent's face went red as my partners went back to my side.

"You fucking asshole! Honestly, are you happy with that?" he screamed while recalling his preferred battling partner.

"Why wouldn't I be? Besides, I'm not the one who asked for a double battle or have one of my teammates attack the other." He shrugged me off then turned to the fire type.

"And you were useless this battle! Why did you just stand there the whole time!? Why didn't you try to attack while moving? Fire away now, I guess. Maybe you'll get a knockout. It'll be something to look back on at work tomorrow since it won't be as busy."

Vulpix looked dejected then put its head down again. With no will to battle in a low-pressure situation, I didn't feel comfortable attacking. My own Pokémon looked back at me in confusion.

"I take back what I said earlier. You may be hot shit at work, but now I know you're a bad trainer."

"Oh please! Like you haven't berated your Pokémon in the middle of a battle."

"Fair point, but at least mine had the will to continue." I folded my arms after recalling my partners. "Let me take Vulpix off your hands if it's so useless to you."

He laughed. "You think I'm just going to give Vulpix up for free? Come on man, make me an offer."

It was a little concerning to me how quick that transpired. No pleading or ranting about getting better will take some time… just an instant reaction.

"I don't have any Pokémon to trade. How about 20,000P?"

"Please tell me you're joking," he sighed.

"Okay, how about 50,000?" I sternly replied.

The look on his face turned serious. "You don't have that much money."

"Does it sound like I'm joking? My offer is still on the table."

Vulpix looked back and forth between us trying to feel out the situation. Its body language was slightly better than the start of the battle.

"Okay mister moneybags, I believe you. We'll go to Lilycove's Pokémon Center and you can give me 1,000,000P there."

I threw on a fake smile. "Ha ha, good one. Let's try 75,000."

"Nope," he immediately replied. I changed my strategy.

"You want something for later? One vitamin capsule from the department store of your choice plus 100,000P wired to your account. My bank is still open. We can do this today."

My offer left him in a deep state of thought. I didn't want him to milk me for any more and I was willing to mix in a few items to keep the cash cost down. Part of me wanted to snatch Vulpix and run, but that would put me in a bigger hole.

"Deal. Let's move," was uttered above a whisper.

The three of us walked to the Pokémon Center in silence. I made the call to my bank for a wire transfer and eventually closed the deal. Protein was his vitamin of choice at the department store which would eventually Machamp's overall physical attacking power. We were given dirty looks since Vulpix was still out.

"Before I forget, I need the ball," I said while we exited.

"Follow me."

I grabbed his wrist. "You mean to tell me there hasn't been a ball around this entire time?"

"Just come with me."

An apartment complex slowly came into view by the harbor. He motioned for us to wait outside while he searched for the ball. The place was cleaner than I thought and looked like a decent place to live space wise. He came back to the doorway holding a Poké Ball.

What was supposed to be simple handoff turned into a temper tantrum. Without a word, he dropped the ball then stomped on it until it was clearly broken. A hard throw into the kitchen came before the door was slammed in our faces. I was in complete shock while a glowing light surrounded Vulpix before breaking into tiny balls. It eventually looked up at me with a blank stare.

"Never thought that would be a reason to carry around Poké Balls but whatever," I said while pulling one out. "Alright, in you go. I think you need a rest." One shake was all it took before the ball stopped moving.

I went back to the Pokémon Center to run everyone through the healing machine. Mossdeep City was the next place with a badge, but I decided Vulpix needed to get comfortable with everyone else first. It was just past 5:00pm so getting home before dark was a possibility. I took out my PokéNav.

"Hello, Jack? I'm in Lilycove but I'm coming home. Would you mind picking up some fire type specific food before I get back?"

"Already? And fire type food?" he replied in a surprised tone.

"Long story short, I'm comfortable enough with flying and I have a Vulpix now. I can fill you in later."

"Oh! We'll have some food for everyone when you get back. Call us if there's a problem beforehand."

Altaria had a huge smile on her face before taking off into the clear evening sky.


	26. Growing Network

Our flight back went a lot better than I thought. Going north first then west allowed me to travel in a straight line without changing heights too much since I wasn't close to flying over Mauville. Trees were below us from the one-hour flight from Lilycove to Fortree. Rugged terrain over route 119's northern end was a welcome change of scenery to make sure I was still on the right path before going back above the trees.

Route 111's desert seemed endless from up above and I opted to land on a plateau to reorient myself with my traditional compass. Altaria showed no signs of being tired as sunlight continued to fade. Mount Chimney was the last major obstacle left to conquer.

Flashbacks of when I rode by on Skarmory came to the forefront of my mind. Riding along the edge was easy during the day, but I feared a cliffside shadow to be a wall of solid rock. My partner slowed down while I did my best to scan what was ahead. I also took a few breaks in the air to check for anything below. A sneak attack was something I didn't want to deal with. Luckily, no Pokémon below was fast enough to reach me with their body or an attack.

Soot from the volcano blocked out the remaining sunlight on route 113. High winds came in shortly after and I was forced to land just short of Fallarbor Town. Go-Goggles that I only used once combined with darkness and soot was a bad combination for an inexperienced flyer; I wasn't sure if Winona would've been comfortable flying in those conditions.

Walking turned into running as rain started to fall and the wind picked up. The quick storm forced me into the Pokémon Center. Just like last time I stopped by, it was nearly empty. The time being 8:30pm probably played a role in that as well. I made a call home.

"Hello Ryan! Everything alright?" Rebecca asked after picking up.

"For the most part. I'm stuck in the Fallarbor Pokémon Center since it's getting pretty bad outside."

I heard a few steps on the wood floor then curtains opening. "Well, it's a thunderstorm here. Let me see what's going on." Keyboard tapping echoed through the speaker. "Looks like it's split up. There should be a break after the wave you're in now before it picks up again. Unfortunately, the storm will follow you home and go all night long."

"Just wait until it dies down then go?"

"That or ask for a room. What did they say in your flight class?"

"Don't fly in a thunderstorm and be careful while flying at night." An idea popped into my head. "Call Salamence out and tell it to use Flamethrower at the sky when I call again. Talk to you soon."

My light jacket and hiking pants wouldn't have stood a chance against the downpour came in full force. Outside pathways couldn't drain fast enough while the dirt turned into thick mud. The building also got pelted from every angle. After the last drop fell, I waited a little longer to ask for Salamence's guidance.

The home stretch turned out to be the slowest. I was forced to fly slower than usual due to the rougher terrain than Mount Chimney. Altaria ended up bumping into a rock wall at one point which caused my heart to skip a beat. Round two of the storm sent me into a full panic; I ordered Altaria to land as soon as possible and I ended up sprinting to the front door.

"Go take a warm shower while I warm up your food," Rebecca said. I took her advice then came back down to the dining room with a large blanket draped over my tank top and shorts.

"After the day I've had, I'm not sure if I should be tired or wide awake," I sighed. "Did everyone else already go to sleep? I know it's almost 10:30."

She took a second to respond. "Our Pokémon are in their balls because we didn't want to scare your new Pokémon. Jack is upstairs looking at something. Latios is off somewhere else."

I let everyone except Vulpix out to eat first. They quickly finished a bowl's worth of food then nearly fell asleep on the floor despite the occasional rumble of thunder. My own pace wasn't as fast, but I asked for a bag of chips to munch on after finishing my main meal. I held the fire type's ball in my hand while looking around the room.

"Listen up you guys. There is a new teammate I'd like to introduce. He… I mean she… I mean… dammit. Hold on." I took out my Pokédex. "Should've done this first. Anyway, give Vulpix some space." The small Pokémon materialized with a yawn then turned to me as I scanned it.

_Name: Vulpix_

_Hoenn Number/National Number: 160/37_

_Male/Female: Female_

_Ability: Flash Fire_

_Nature: Timid_

_Moves: Will-O-Wisp, Hex, Extrasensory, Flamethrower_

With moves like that, I would've been hesitant to burn my own Pokémon for a boost to start the battle. The man's brother appeared to have raised it well before it got passed down. Instilling a little confidence in her could draw out a lot of that power.

"After she's done eating, introduce yourselves one at a time," I said to my team.

She turned around then immediately hid behind a table leg; not the start I wanted. Her food bowl was a few feet away, but it must've felt like miles. The body language after wasn't much better. Squatting on all fours, chin on the ground but eyes looking up, and its tails up in the air made it look like it was about to attack. A loud thunderclap made her hop in place instead.

The rest of my team looked to each other wondering who should play the role of greeter. Linoone stepped forward after a Pokémon only conversation. It made sense seeing as he spent the most time with me. Vulpix gave him about four steps before scampering diagonally to hide behind another table leg. The fifth step caused her to release a few embers from her mouth.

"Linoone, return!" I nervously whispered.

With a potential threat gone, she swallowed the rest of the fire. Jack came down with a folder but left it in the kitchen. His presence made Vulpix start to whimper.

"Oh dear, what happened?" he softly asked.

"She's a bit nervous. I got her in a trade earlier today," I said before taking a sip of water.

Jack scanned the room. "Did… did you trade Linoone?"

I nearly spit it out. "No way! He's in his ball."

"Well, what did you give up?"

"Protein capsule and 100,000P," I bluntly replied. "The trainer wasn't getting another Pokémon from me even if it was freshly caught."

There was a hint of anger on his face. "Ryan… did you even think about what could've happened to you?"

"Not really? We agreed to a fair trade." He glared at me.

"Don't fool yourself. You bought that Vulpix. That's something you don't want to get involved in even with good intentions. The last thing you need is the police or any league official investigating you for trafficking."

Keeping Aggron's history a secret became another priority. "Regardless, I'm registered as her original trainer since her former trainer broke her ball. See for yourself." Jack reluctantly accepted that fact.

"And what if she doesn't want to travel with you?" I stood up in front of him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this house is open to Pokémon that any of us bring back. If it doesn't work out, she'll stay here." Rebecca physically got between us.

"It's getting late. Jack, you've had a long day. I'll clean up," she insisted. He gave in and went upstairs.

Vulpix stopped her whimpering and slowly moved to underneath the middle of the table when Aggron shifted closer to her. He was a softie when he wanted to be, but his sheer size and natural intimidating look wasn't exactly welcoming. He understood that being recalled would save everyone some trouble. Magneton didn't fare much better even with its carefree attitude and it had to go back leaving Altaria as the only other Pokémon out.

"The only way that could've gone worse is if a fight started," I said while running my hands through my hair. Vulpix tiptoed over to her food bowl but didn't eat as Altaria scared her into the corner of the room first. It simply stared at the wall while standing still. Not even the sound of thunder could get it to move.

"Even Altaria. Poor thing is having a rough first night," Rebecca noted.

"Getting Vulpix to look at me would be a good start. I'll try even if it takes me all night." I took my plate into the kitchen. Rebecca followed with four empty bowls. "You can go up. Doing dishes should help me stay awake for a bit."

Running water combined with dishes tapping against the hard countertops provided enough comfort for Altaria to start a conversation. It was mostly one-sided with Vulpix occasionally getting something out. I didn't bother to step or even peek in the dining room until I was done cleaning. Both Pokémon had turned around to look at me when I was in the opening. The fire type's food bowl was still full.

Vulpix's ears drooped a little bit and she started to shiver. There was an attempt by Altaria to nudge it forward only to fail when the fire type didn't budge. She walked over to me then took my hand with her wings.

"You want me to go over?" I let her escort me over to within an arm's reach of Vulpix while she continually hummed. Altaria made me rub her head then pointed. "Are you sure she wants to be pet?" A nod was her response.

I did my best to make myself look as least threatening as possible. Sitting with my legs crossed while slightly leaning forward was the best I could think of. Vulpix took a step closer to where I didn't have to reach too far. We waited a bit before I slowly reached out for her head with Altaria's wing guiding me. A quick yelp and flinch was her response followed by a weak Flamethrower.

Moving to my right while ducking to the best of my ability saved me. The small stream of fire connected with the side of my left shoulder before I backed up as fast as I could. I tried not to make the situation worse by sprinting or making any loud noises on the way to the closest bathroom.

"Shit! It's already red. Not too hot though," I mumbled while looking in the mirror. "Wet washcloth should be fine."

Grunts came out as the cold water met the hot skin. Every few seconds I would run the washcloth under water again to avoid it being too warm. There came a point where I preferred to air it out and put a small towel in the sink for later.

I nervously walked back to the dining room where Vulpix went back to standing in the corner facing the wall. The whimpering had gotten slightly louder and shivering even worse despite Altaria's attempts to calm her down. Her attention turned to me and she hovered over looking upset.

"Why are you looking at  _me_  like that?" I whispered while looking confused.

To my surprise, she slapped me across the face. It wasn't some half-hearted attempt; it was like someone blindsided me with a dense memory foam pillow. I didn't think it would hurt at all, but she hit me square. Altaria put on an angry face then berated me while I rubbed my face. I was at a loss for words for her change in demeanor. She ended up making Vulpix turn around while forcefully grabbing my hand.

Round two was controlled by Altaria as she showed me how I should have done it the first time. My hand was guided like the first attempt but then it was moved to underhand near Vulpix's chin instead. She let go and motioned for me to do it again. I reached overhand for the head and my hand was quickly slapped away with less force. Altaria rocked my whole arm back and forth while making sure I had an open underhand palm.

"I think I get it now. Let me try," I said.

Vulpix looked like she was going to fire off another attack without Altaria guiding me. Luckily, she kept it together long enough to stop whimpering and shivering. The body went back to a neutral position although Vulpix looked reluctant to enjoy the petting. I stopped after a minute so Altaria could let herself back in the ball.

"We can watch some late-night television in the living room. Follow me," I said with a smile. Vulpix looked past me then back at the bowl of food. "I'll bring it."

The couch reclined on the two outside cushions and there was a blanket draped over the top. I put the food in the middle cushion before signaling Vulpix to come up; she didn't have enough height on her jump. Crying started after failing to get up on the second try.

"Come on up," I urged with my arms out.

She slowly extended her front legs upward. Honestly, I was terrified of picking her up knowing one bad move would be met with flames. The triangle nook between my wrist, elbow and shoulder fit her perfectly. Being held wasn't on her mind as she went to stand on the middle cushion. Although her food was inches away, Vulpix became mesmerized by some older Pokéathlon matches before Lucas got into the sport.

Most of the storm devolved to just rain around midnight. The pitter patter sound lulled me to sleep for about an hour; a commercial containing a bright white background with a phone number woke me up. Vulpix was sleeping peacefully on the middle seat with her bowl still full. I carefully got up to check on my burn in the bathroom.

"Oof. Wonder how this towel will feel on it." Plopping it on the area made me wince. "Only a first-degree burn. The human body is a bitch," I grumbled.

Repeating the process of applying water, drying the shoulder, and blowing on it wasn't cutting it. I decided to deal with it in detail in the morning. The good news was that it didn't hurt unless I touched it. My plan to sneak upstairs was a failure when I got back to the living room; Vulpix was standing next to the couch facing me. Her emotionless aura returned.

"Did I wake you up?" No response; I felt a chill go up my spine. "I'm going to bed. Would you like to come upstairs or go back in your ball?" She walked to the stairs.

I found it odd that she wouldn't leave my side. Brushing my teeth? She watched me do it. Washing my face? She hopped on the counter. Going to the bathroom? It took a lot of effort to at least get her to look the other way. It all came with a blank stare.

Doctor Ellis' bed was the best option to sleep with the burn. I angled my side of the bed like the recliner then looked down at Vulpix; she was fixated on the bed. I pulled back the covers on the flat side while she stared at the curtains.

"Go on! Make yourself comfortable. The rain or wind isn't coming in here." Her hop was barely enough to get on the bed; she settled in quickly. "Goodnight Vulpix! See you in the morning." A lick on my good shoulder came shortly after.

I had a peaceful sleep until the bedroom door squeaked open. Darkness still covered the room except for the alarm clock with its red numbers. I rolled over in a haze to see the time was 2:45. Not only that, the room temperature had spiked when I was more awake.

"Did they really set the thermostat that high? It's hot as fuck," I said under my breath. I turned on the nightstand lamp, blinked my eyes a few times, and froze. "V… Vulpix?"

The small fire type was no longer small. Dark fur had turned to a golden-white color, a mane had formed around the neck, and the eyes were gleaming red. The tails were long with orange tips and there were nine in total; she had evolved into Ninetales. It felt like she was looking into my soul with her expressionless stare from the door. It was easily more threatening than as a Vulpix.

We shared a few seconds of tense silence before she started walking slowly over to the foot of my bed. My Poké Balls were so close yet reaching for them probably made me a dead man. The heat radiating off her increased with each step to the point where I was profusely sweating even with the covers to the side. Her tails had sharp, precise movements while her ears were as perky as could be. She ended up sitting tall and rigid. Her eyes were fierce.

I had no verbal or physical response as she managed to climb up to the edge near my feet. One reason was because I didn't know what she wanted. The other was because I was terrified to do anything. A few small cuts on a front leg caught my eye when she ended up sitting on my ankles. I had no clue how they got there.

"Let's get that cut cleaned up. Are you hurt?" I softly asked trying to hide the nerves. Some of the heat died down although her body language didn't change. "Maybe get some fresh food first? You can have as much as you want."

It was like I hit a reset button. The room temperature immediately went back to normal and her body language was no longer threatening. I leaned back for a few seconds to take a few deep breaths when she hopped off the bed.

Our walk to the kitchen still felt tense and I tried to take my mind off her. However, I noticed she was still underweight by normal standards and the legs looked even more toned than before. I grabbed the mostly full bag of specialty fire type food and a clean Pokémon bowl before preparing it in the kitchen. She licked her lips the entire time.

"All set!"

As soon as she leaned down, her legs started shaking violently. Standing back up seemed to fix the problem albeit there was heavy breathing. She stared at her bowl like it was behind an invisible barrier.

"You can sit down to eat. It's what my Pokémon do," I said, a little confused about her behavior.

Those words made her throw herself flat on her stomach in relief. With each leg tucked under her body in a comfortable position, she scarfed down as much as possible with each bite. It was like bobbing for apples. Pellets not in her mouth ended up scattered close by. She wiggled around to finish them off as I went to pour another bowl; the result was the same. I put a few in my hand for round three.

"Baby bites this time. I don't want you to get a stomachache like Linoone did on his first night with me." Ninetales carefully gobbled up the first handful with tears starting to form. "It's okay… you're alright. You're alright," I cooed. "This isn't a punishment. I'll keep pouring more."

I lost track of how many handfuls were given out. Each one took longer to finish than the previous one until she left a lot in my hand on the last round. I let her stay on the kitchen floor while I got a few bandages and disinfectant spray from Ellis' master bathroom.

"Let me see that leg." She twitched while showing it. "Not too bad. This is going to sting now, but it'll feel so much better in the morning when the bandages come off. Ready? One. Two Three." A low growl out of pain followed a loud yelp as I finished the process; it stopped when I scratched her chin.

"Good girl! I just need to clean the couch and then you can get some rest. Be back in a minute." I heard her yawn from the hallway.

On my way back to the living room, I finally realized the glass display case holding the doctor's alternative forms of payment had a sizable hole in the top. Broken glass littered the inside around an empty spot.

"Water Stone… Leaf Stone… Sun Stone… every other stone's all there. Better leave a note to explain everything." I ran upstairs to the study for a sheet of paper.

With everything cleaned up and the note taped to the case, it was finally time for bed. Ninetales had passed out on the kitchen floor when I was at the edge. One step in had her ears twitching and the sound of food being put in the trash woke her up.

"It's probably stale. You still want some?" I took a few pieces over for her to sniff; she stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Told you. Now let's go… damn. I forgot your ball." Ninetales sat up to put her front legs in the air.

I ended up scooping her up around the neck and middle of the back for the most support. My hand was about a foot away from where her tails bunched up. Carrying her bridal style up the stairs was the easiest way and she purred the entire time. I made the decision to put her in the guest room next to mine. She whined with what little energy she had left after I turned on the light.

"This bed is all yours. Sleep as long as you want. I'll be next door if you need anything."

I pulled the covers as far back as possible with one hand then set her down. The pillows were dragged around to fit her specifications. A small smile formed when she was comfortable; I finished tucking her in on one knee.

"Goodnight Ninetales. Sleep well."

* * *

Lingering clouds from the storm prevented any sunlight from breaking through. It was mid-afternoon when I woke up. Ninetales' door was still shut when I walked past it on the way downstairs. The housekeepers got up from the couch to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Long night?" Rebecca asked.

"Very long. Sorry if I missed a spot cleaning. Hope you got a general idea of what happened with the note," I replied.

Jack pulled it out. "How's she doing now?"

"Sleeping in the guest room next to Ellis' room." I suddenly felt a knot in my stomach realized where I slept. "Did… did he die in his bed?"

"No. It was at the Fallarbor Pokémon Center. Something wasn't right when he was in town then his heart stopped a few hours later." Jack looked at my shoulder. "Did Ninetales burn you?"

I poked it. "Technically as a Vulpix. If you don't slap it, it's fine."

"What did you do?" Rebecca sincerely asked.

"Pet her head from above; you have to go underhand with her for now. Also, she has this weird quirk for standing all the time. She only sat down when I went to sleep on the couch and when she finally ate."

They looked at each other then back to me. "Please be careful with her. That doesn't sound normal. I think you should take her to the Pokémon Center soon for a full checkup."

"Was thinking the same thing; she's still a little underweight," I added. "Anyway, I wanted to do something first. Did you guys come up with anything on Pokémon Services while I was gone?"

I was led to the dining room table were the folder from last night was open. More papers had been added along with highlighted sections. Jack slid me a single sheet with bullet points.

"We've found nothing definitive for now. However, there are a few things to keep an eye on. We talked to a few of Ellis' closest colleagues that have applied to work there as on-call specialists. Good experience on paper but the work environment seemed pretty volatile according to them."

"How recent were these conversations?" I asked, wondering if Maddie's experiences held up.

"The last call was a few days ago. On top of that, a physical therapist that left has filed a complaint with the Pokémon League about some treatment methods."

"What does that mean?" Jack deferred to Rebecca.

"A couple league employees will check the facility to make sure the conditions are up to par. Maybe they'll find something that will lead to Latias."

I shook my head. "I'd be willing to bet Ardos knows that a former employee would be out to get him. He isn't the type of guy to throw a blanket over a couch stain. He's going to make sure everything is squeaky clean until the visit is over and maybe a few days after."

"But it's a start," Rebecca replied. "We're keeping the pressure on by encouraging a chain of communication. Those who stay can report to Ellis' colleagues who then report to us. All it takes is one screwup by any employee to blow this thing wide open."

She wasn't wrong. The concern was having Ardos tell supervisors to fire people who saw something they should not have or worse, potentially kill them. If working with Ninetales was hard, I couldn't imagine working with an injured Pokémon. Having an "accident" was a real possibility.

"I'll give you that one. Anything else? I have a few things to go over," I yawned.

"The rest of the papers are articles that mention Pokémon Services. You can look at those while we make you some food."

Most of the content was in favor of the company. The innovative medical collar collaboration with Devon Corporation moved from the beta to a more open beta being used on a wider range of participants. It was praised as a more efficient way to measure a Pokémon's body readings but there were still doubts about its overall effectiveness.

Badmouthing was met with a typical public relations response from Jen herself or someone in the department. Free information sessions were advertised to keep them as honest in the public eye. Some of the online reviews in comment sections by disgruntled customers were met with hostility by satisfied customers. Maddie was right about them helping people despite the internal problems.

We ended up eating a small early dinner together. I ended up changing the topic to my journey. They seemed interested in my flight class more than anything. It would take some time, but I could ride on Salamence in the future when I was home. I waited until the dishes were done before telling them my news.

"I appreciate the work you guys have done. There wasn't a lot I could do about all this except get stronger. Now, I'm planning to add more people to help starting with Winona. She's Fortree's gym leader and on board with helping us no matter what."

Jack tilted his head. "Interesting. Is there a reason she wanted to get involved?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "All I can think of is that she saw the Eon duo around her gym. I think there's more that she didn't want to give away."

"Fair enough. What does she plan to do to help?"

"I have to call her back later. The reason I waited was because there's another person that's not all in on this. Her name is Maddie and last time I checked, she worked for Pokémon Services. She's working to become a doctor."

Rebecca leaned forward. "Someone on the inside, huh? That's a game changer."

"So is her boyfriend," I quickly interjected. "Based on our past talks, it sounds like he's on the 'bad' side of things. They haven't been talking to each other and I have a feeling she can't take it all much longer. I told her to call me if it became too much yet she hasn't done it."

"Not to brag, but our connection to the doctor might get her off the fence. If she thinks that's not enough, I'm more than willing to show her what I learned," Rebecca sternly replied before dropping her head. "Who am I kidding? It's a tough spot for her to be in." There was a short period of silence.

"We'll be happy to talk to her if you want," Jack finally said.

Dialing the number was an uncomfortable experience. Maddie opting out at any point would kill a lot of future momentum. On the other hand, I still feared for her safety about getting involved. I couldn't blame her either way.

"Hello?"

"Maddie? It's me, Ryan. How are you doing?"

She let out a big sigh. "Same old same old at work. Just walking home now. The good news is that Cecil feels like himself again for the most part. The attitude change was because he was trying out for a promotion and wanted to surprise me after he got it. He can't really tell me what he does because it deals with private medical records. I still haven't told him about what you and I are doing though. I don't want to risk my job."

At least some stress was gone on her end. Unfortunately, getting Cecil in on the party wasn't going to happen. The promotion could've been genuine or based on my idea that he was working with unfavorable people. I was honestly expecting worse.

"I understand. Still, that must've been a relief to hear."

"You have no idea. I've been feeling so much better about going to work at that clusterfuck of a place."

"Well, I've got more good news for you. There's a few people I got that can help you out."

There was an extended pause. "Really!?"

"Yup! Fortree's gym leader, Winona is the first one. Doctor Ellis' two assistants are the others." A loud thud echoed through the speaker.

"What!? There's no fucking way you got them in on all of this! I don't believe it! Oh… sorry," she yelled at what I presumed was people walking by.

I tried not to smile. "It's true. They're right here if you want to talk to them."

"Fuck yeah I want to talk to them!" I handed over the PokéNav.

Their conversation lasted a good half hour before it was over. Jack gave her the house number in case I couldn't be reached along with how their roles intertwined. The looks on my housekeepers' faces were priceless; they clearly hadn't met someone with that much enthusiasm. A little bit of left over energy was still there when Maddie started talking.

"Okay,  _now_  I believe you."

"Told you. Anyway, are you still on board?"

"Yes," she said with no doubt in her voice.

I pumped my fist. "Nice. I have to call Winona later to tell her what's going on. Can I give your number to her? A connected network would make things easier."

"Go for it. Unfortunately, I don't have anything for you now."

"Don't worry about it. We'll keep in touch." I put my forehead against the table in relief after I hung up. "Holy shit I'm glad that worked out."

Rebecca didn't share my unbridled happiness. "Do you realize there's a potential problem down the road?"

"What problem?"

"You already mentioned it: her boyfriend. At some point, she's going to have to choose between protecting her boyfriend or even herself and giving us information. What's going to happen as the investigation goes on?"

I rubbed my eyes. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I hate to be a pessimist too, but sabotaging the investigation isn't out of the question," Jack added. "Until then, we should trust her. She seems very dedicated to her job despite what has been going on at Pokémon Services."

"Whatever. I'll keep it in mind," I sighed. "I'm calling Winona now." The flying type gym leader took a long time to pick up.

"Sorry about that. Just taking care of something. Who's this?"

"Ryan. We talked yesterday about the Latias situation."

I heard her office door lock. "Right. What's going on?"

"There's three people familiar with the situation that I got to help us. One of them works for the company and the other two have a lot of connections. I'll give you their numbers first."

A hum escaped her mouth after the scribbling stopped. "How are we doing this?"

"If you see or hear anything, shoot me a text or call me, Jack, or Rebecca. Let Maddie contact you first because I want to minimize her risk in all of this. I've got nothing new for now."

"Alright… I understand." A thought popped into my head before either of us could hang up.

"Has there been any word on Wattson? Maybe his replacement? I haven't checked anything since it was announced."

Papers shuffled on her end. "His condition is confidential. An assistant named Vivian was promoted so she's been taking challenges. Honestly, she has a good attitude for being put into the spotlight. The winning percentage could be better but that usually comes with time."

If anyone took over, I was happy it was Vivian. She was the only coworker I could relate to since Ben was younger, and Shawn hated me from the start. Challenging her for the Dynamo Badge early in her stint versus later was something I had to think about. Did I want her at her best or take advantage of her lack of experience?

"Should be a good battle when I get there."

"Considering I'm her mentor, you'll get a challenge," Winona lightheartedly said.

"More like a sweep; a 5-0 loss if she's lucky," I teased. "Anyway, I think I'll stop by for more flying lessons. I can't multitask or fly at night very well."

"I don't recommend doing those even after a few classes," she warned.

"Figured as much. How about I pay you for private lessons?"

There was a long period of silence before she spoke again. "That doesn't make it any less dangerous.

"And that's why I want those lessons… to be prepared." I didn't want her to lose interest by pushing the issue. "That's all I got for now. Thanks for everything."

She unlocked the door on her end. "You can stop by Fortree if you want to talk in person. Just give me a ring beforehand. Bye!"

A small wave of relief came over me. I finally had some help from people that believed me. Keeping an eye or ear out for something unusual was going to get harder over time. There was no telling how long our mission would take or if it would even succeed. If getting Latias back was so easy, I would've taken a more aggressive approach the moment I lost her.

We took a few moments to let everything sink in. Jack and I eventually went to the living room couch while Rebecca went to take a nap. Ninetales ended up coming down still looking tired. She sat on the ground between us looking up at me.

"Hey there sleepyhead! Feeling better?" Ninetales turned to Jack looking nervous. "Don't be scared of him. He has Pokémon too!"

Jack took that as a cue to grab his partners; I tried to calm her down with petting. She initially flinched when I started underhand but embraced it. Against better judgment, I turned my hand around to the top of her head. That made her take a step back. Ninetales put her head down as if she was ashamed.

"Okay, who should I let out first? Breloom or Delcatty?" Jack asked standing in the doorway.

"Breloom. The natural type advantage should make her relax." The grass and fighting type came out looking cheerful. "You can go say hello," I softly urged.

Ninetales became skittish when it took a step forward. It got to a point where she hid behind me as if Breloom was going to hurt her. It ended up looking back at Jack with a bewildered look on its face.

"His body language doesn't look threatening," Jack said with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Maybe try Delcatty?"

The second Pokémon made Ninetales come out from behind me. She stayed crouched while having a conversation with Delcatty. Breloom tried to jump in only to be scolded at by the normal type. Delcatty came over then waved a paw.

"Very odd of her to yell at Breloom. Wonder what she said?" Jack noted.

Introductions went better the second time around despite Ninetales' shyness. Waking up Rebecca to show off Absol could wait for another day. Altaria was let out to make the rest of my team introductions easier.

"Let's start with Linoone again. Out you go!" He came out looking relaxed and even went on his side to show he wasn't a threat.

His body language didn't make Ninetales feel any better. She tensed up again although there were no signs of an attack coming. I just didn't understand what was going on in her head. Linoone was clearly smaller than her and debatably weaker in terms of raw power. It wasn't like Breloom wasn't much taller or stronger either. A weak high five between the two was a good starting point.

Magneton made her go from uneasy to confused. Its bubbly attitude from when I first caught it came out. Their talk was one-sided as Magneton went on while Ninetales replied in short mumbles. Watching the experience was like watching an overenthusiastic salesperson trying to close a deal. She ended up cracking a small smile. I brought Altaria close to me for the last round.

"You have to try and convince Ninetales that Aggron isn't that scary," I whispered. A stern nod followed. After a quick game of charades, I made the move. "Alright Aggron, here we go."

Even at his calmest, Aggron still terrified Ninetales to where she hid behind me. A fire type staring down a steel and rock type weighing nearly 800 pounds was rough. No doubt she had a tough time understanding that he wasn't going to hurt her despite Altaria's words. The fact he was almost seven feet tall also worked against him.

In an interesting display, Aggron walked away from everyone to sit down. He acted like a newborn Aron by tapping his hands on the floor or gently rocking from side to side. There was his soft side but seeing that blew my mind.

"It's okay Ninetales! He just wants to say hello. What if I go over with you?" She poked her head out then nervously looked up at me. "Yes?"

The deep breath gave her enough confidence to stand up. I stayed in front of her on the short walk over. Aggron continued the act even though I could sense a hit to his pride. He coaxed Ninetales to come out long enough for her to put a paw on his hand. She scampered back behind me to bury her head.

"Look at me," I cooed. It took a minute for her to do so. "Good girl! So brave," I said while sticking my hand out; she nuzzled against it. "Jack, do you think the Pokémon Center could take a closer look at Ninetales on short notice?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Probably; not sure how long it would take."

"Heading out now would be a good idea even though it's close to dinner. I'll just take Altaria so everyone else can roam around."

"Would you like me to give them some food?"

"Go ahead."

Jack retreated to the kitchen to fill the bowls. His Pokémon followed while mine stayed in the living room. The sounds of awkward shuffling filled the room as my newest member stood back up. I knelt down next to her.

"Baby steps, Ninetales. Let's get you to the Pokémon Center."

Overcast combined with a mild wind forced me to change into my usual travelling gear. A small amount of heat radiated from my shoulder the entire ride over. True to form, the place was nearly empty. I waited a few minutes for an elderly woman to get her partner back.

"Welcome! How may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Can you do a check-up for my Ninetales? I got her in a trade and there's a few things I'm worried about. Also, do you have anything for my minor burn?"

We were brought back to a welcoming exam room. I was given some ointment to help repair my skin as Nurse Joy got prepared. Ninetales went back to shaking in place on the exam table.

"Don't be afraid. I'm going to make sure you're healthy!" the nurse cheerfully said. She looked to me. "How long ago was the trade?"

"Yesterday."

A scowl formed on her face. "The previous owner didn't treat her as well as they should have. She could use a little more weight. Did you get her with the bandage too?"

"No. That was from her breaking glass to get to a Fire Stone."

"Hmm… I see; originally a Vulpix. Let me go over the basics. I think you should stay with us to keep her calm."

From what I saw, it was standard operating procedure. Writing down her height, weight, temperature, sensitive paws which was probably from all the standing, and reaction times to stimuli would help for future visits if necessary. She constantly looked to me for support and wanted me to hold her paw by the end.

"Before I forget, do you have an answer why she's afraid of nearly everyone I've introduced to her? I mean she ends up hiding behind me. My roster is Linoone, Altaria, Aggron, and Magneton. The only one she's comfortable with is Altaria. I have a friend with a Breloom and Delcatty; she's scared of Breloom." Nurse Joy sat me down.

"There's a theory that I have but it might sound weird. I have seen something like this before. Tell me something… what is the male to female count of all those Pokémon?"

"Males are Linoone, Aggron, and Breloom. Females are Delcatty and Altaria. Magneton is obviously neither." My heart sunk a little bit the more I thought about it. "Oh…"

"Like I said, it's just a theory. Being traded can rattle a Pokémon in a lot of ways. What I  _can_  tell you is that she needs to put on some weight. Have her eat a little more per meal for about two weeks; no binging. How you want to handle Ninetales' transition from her previous owner to you is up to you. Aside from that, no major problems. I'll give you a list of resources on the way out."

Nurse Joy left the room with papers in hand. We took a few minutes to catch our breath. The fire type opted to use my forearm as a pillow while staring out the door. Unsure about wanting to be pet, I offered my hand to which it was softly licked.

"All done," I whispered. She started to fall asleep. "We'll get something to eat at home. Sound good?"

She hopped down to the ground then put her head in my lap. Her ears had drooped along with her head going limp. The eyes I saw were nothing like ones only a few hours ago. A mix of hope and uncertainty was staring me in the face.

"Ninetales, please understand that none of this is your fault. I'll do my best to make sure you're happy. You'll always have a roof over your head, food in your stomach, and access to a Pokémon Center whenever you're hurt. We can work on the little things at your pace. Okay?" Her eyes slowly closed followed by a soft purr.

Dusk was setting in when we walked back into the main lobby. Nurse Joy handed me a list of websites to visit plus a few pamphlets on maintaining a healthy Pokémon. Ninetales was recalled before I rode Altaria home.

Jack made dinner for everyone but none of my Pokémon had eaten. They kept their distance from Ninetales when I called her out and started eating when she did. It got to a point where she started pushing her bowl closer to everyone else. With a little help from Altaria, my new teammate held steady at the sight of Absol and Salamence.

Nothing eventful happened the rest of the night. The housekeepers and I watched television while most of our Pokémon played. Ninetales was still too shy to mix it up although she didn't mind pushing toys back if they got away; I got a ball just for her. Everyone went up to bed by midnight.

The only Pokémon that didn't want to sleep outside their balls were Aggron, Magneton, Breloom, and Salamence. Delcatty and Absol took the couch, Altaria and Linoone had their own bedroom. Ninetales had the same room as last time; she didn't stay there.

My door squeaked open in the middle of the night before the other side of the bed dipped. The covers were pulled back then haphazardly fixed. I didn't mind one bit.

Her purring was music to my ears.


	27. Full Plate

Morning arrived with a thin line of sunlight peeking through the curtains at 6:00 am. I carefully rolled out of bed to readjust them seeing as Ninetales was so comfortable. Based on the past two days, she was willing to leave as much of her past behind as possible. I still had my work cut out for me since I knew next to nothing about her. Getting back into bed caused her to jolt up.

She hopped out of bed then sprinted around to my side. An alert stance was taken while I was still rubbing my eyes. There was a small yet noticeable shift as I tried to figure out what she wanted. She shifted the weight of her body onto her front legs instead of having it equally distributed.

"You need food?" Surprisingly, she shook her head. "Water?" Still not it. I cracked the bedroom door open, but she ended up going back to the window. I turned on the nightstand lamp. "What's out there?"

A paw pointed to the battle area where the battle for the mansion took place. Dew covered what little grass was around and the window was slightly frosted. I took my best guess as to what she wanted.

"Don't you think it's a little early for training?" Her head tilted in confusion. "Your legs need more rest too."

There was a moment of silence before she started to snivel. The fire type jumped back to her side of the bed then rubbed her head all over the pillow. A few sobs escaped.

"Oh… please don't cry. I'm not mad," I said reassuringly. "You don't have to wake up this early anymore. There's no need to worry about being late for work or trying to find time for training. You can go back to sleep."

The sobbing was eventually replaced with deep breaths. I wanted to make her feel better by petting her, but I didn't want to risk a more severe burn. I grabbed a drink from the master bathroom then settled in. Ninetales faced me then gave me a few licks. Her front paw went across my stomach as if she was trying to hug me. After she rubbed it against me, I took that as an invitation to pet it. A relived hum came from her mouth as she went back to sleep.

My door squeaked open a little more just a few minutes later. Linoone scampered to my side wondering what was going on. I invited him on the bed by patting it; he jumped up. For as long as I've had him, he wasn't into cuddling until that moment. I put him next to my chest.

"Hey you! Sorry if we woke you up." Linoone yawned then buried his head in my chest. "I need you to show Ninetales that she'll fit right in. You know a thing or two about moving up in life." I gave him a kiss on the top of his head and went back to sleep.

Waking up for the second time was caused by Linoone licking me. He had a fair point because it was almost 10:00. Instead of wanting breakfast, he climbed on my chest and demanded to be pet. Ninetales woke up when he accidently pushed her paw away. She nuzzled against my neck not caring that Linoone was getting most of the attention. They walked and talked together from the bedroom to the dining room.

Everyone else was done or nearly done with breakfast when we walked in. The Pokémon had their undivided attention on my new teammate. Rebecca started filling my plate when I sat down.

"Good morning Ryan. Was everything okay last night?"

"Yeah. Ninetales wanted to sleep with me I guess. Linoone also jumped in my bed early this morning. Too bad my tent isn't that big."

"Why not get a bigger one?" Rebecca nonchalantly asked.

"Because setting it up would take longer or the fact that it would be bulkier to carry. Maybe a Pokémon Center won't mind. Their mattresses aren't that big though."

Jack cleaned up his area. "Anything special for today?"

"Planning for my next gym battle. I'd prefer to do it in the study. Maybe train a little afterward since I want to leave tomorrow. Do you need the computer?"

"No. It's all yours. I actually have to go into town soon. Need anything?"

"I'm good."

Before Jack could put his dishes away, Ninetales walked in front of him. She put on a cute face and rubbed against his leg for what I assumed was an apology for last night. He let his free arm drop so she could lick his hand. The shyness factor had decreased when she started talking to my team while eating. I let them do their own thing while I went to plan.

Mossdeep, Sootopolis, and Mauville were the only cities left with gyms. I couldn't bring myself to challenge Vivian in her current state because she wasn't at her best. At least I had another reason to save that place for last. My current team matched up poorly against a Sootopolis water team as it stood. Riding Magneton to victory wasn't a viable plan either.

Although Mossdeep was my best bet, there were a few drawbacks. Psychic types were always a tough out even with a bad trainer. The place also had two gym leaders that happened to be siblings. Tate and Liza had years of chemistry to rely on if things got dicey. If someone told me they had a full-blown telepathy connection between them, I wouldn't doubt it. The big one was that the Mind Badge had to be won in a double battle.

No challenger had convinced the league to make it a battle against two separate people since the decision was made. Their main argument was double battles were used in early preliminary matches at Ever Grande City. I heard a rumor while working under Wattson that there were a few options avaible to make the experience more tolerable.

The league was good about giving trainers enough information to prepare while also keeping their mouth shut. Enough trainers going around to spread their experience could easily become outdated with a gym specific rule change.

While trying to figure out who would work well together, I had my mind stuck on Linoone. He finally got to travel with me after waiting for so long yet his track record in gym battles wasn't that good. No appearances against Roxanne or Brawly, almost fainted against Flannery's Torkoal, lost to Norman's Vigoroth the first time, subbed against Norman's Slaking the second time around, and lost to Winona's Pelipper. His only win was against a weakened Kangaskhan and that was in the rematch with Norman. I did some digging around and came across something that could help him.

"Mossdeep's Pokémon Center should have it by the time I get there. I hope so for 25,000P," I mumbled after placing the order.

I switched gears to watching double battles from past preliminary rounds to see what combinations worked. Protect seemed to be a staple move no matter who was out on the field. It also allowed a teammate to use any move without repercussions; Earthquake being the popular combo move. Weather based teams, especially rain, also made plenty of appearances. Very few trainers brought a Trick Room team; only two from over a decade ago made it to the round of 32.

Abilities or moves that I thought were useless turned out to be extremely useful. Telepathy on Gardevoir allowed it to avoid damage from an ally's Earthquake and Lightning Rod from a Sinnoh trainer's Rhyperior saved its Staraptor partner from a surprise Thunderbolt. One relevant piece of information from another battle was that Wide Guard nullified Rock Slide. I had to give my mind a rest.

"Should've paid attention back when I was in school. Wonder if Roxanne puts any of this shit on her tests?" Ninetales came to me after poking her head in. "Hey! How are you doing?"

To my surprise, she went on her back with all four legs in the air. I checked my Pokédex to make sure she didn't have a docile nature. A paw rubbed against her stomach.

"Belly rub?" She nodded furiously.

I sat on the floor rubbing and gently scratching her underbelly. There were a few leg twitches mixed in with some mews out of joy. She also squirmed in an attempt to scratch her back. I threw in a solid pat seeing as Linoone appreciated it when I did it to him in the past, but her mood instantly changed. Ninetales bolted into the hallway then peeked around the corner showing as little of her head as possible. She was frightened to see how I would react.

"Oh Ninetales… please sit on my lap. I want to tell you something," I requested as gently as possible. She slowly took the invitation and I looked down at her. "Good girl. I want you to know that petting and a gentle tap is a good thing. I will never hit you out of anger or frustration."

Realistically, it was going to take some time for her to adjust to being shown affection. The front legs were placed on my shoulders and I hugged her back. I carefully rocked side to side so she could feel comfortable. We stayed like that until she left the room.

I went back to watching double battles on my own until I got distracted by top tier single battles. Any trainer could apply for a battle with the Elite Four, but the champion of the Hoenn League for that year had an automatic bid. The skill gap was incredible; even the best trainers from the tournament had trouble against Sydney. Battles against any of the other members were few and far between. Only a handful of trainers got a battle with Steven Stone and even those were 5-0 or 4-0 blowouts. Rebecca broke my concentration by knocking.

"Ryan, it's supposed to rain around 5:30 if you still wanted to train. It's 3:30 now."

"Guess I lost track of time. Do you mind having Absol or Salamence as a sparring partner?"

"Not Salamence. Restraint in battle is one of the few things the doctor had a tough time with because it would only be used in tense situations. Absol is your best bet followed by Jack's Delcatty. I'll get the portable healing machine. Meet me at the field."

Convincing everyone to spar was easy since they hadn't battled that much in the past few days. I convinced Ninetales to come out but didn't expect her to do anything. Absol was given the rundown when everything was set.

I had each teammate take a turn in combat. Linoone's focus was improving his agility on the counterattack, Magneton's reaction to quick changes in moves, Altaria's attack accuracy while flying on the move, and Aggron's ability to dodge without striking back. Absol took the sparring well despite an accidental critical hit from Thunder and Slash. Ninetales observed intently from the sidelines until she wanted a turn.

"Let's see what you got. You good, Rebecca? This'll be it."

She took an extra moment to reply. "We can treat this like a normal battle. I think it's important to get a baseline for Ninetales." Absol looked relieved about not having to hold back.

"If you say so. Ninetales, Flamethrower!"

I saw a flinch after calling her name. She also took a little bit longer to attack. A large stream of flames eventually shot out of her mouth faster than I thought. Absol was just as surprised as I was and rolled to the side. He furiously blew on a front paw that got hit.

"Close call. Absol, use Swords Dance!" The series of movements appeared to make its body more limber.

"Not so fast! Will-O-Wisp!"

Another flinch happened as compact series of blueish-white flames were shot out. Unfortunately, it was horribly inaccurate. I started to think about her self-confidence.

"Try Psycho Cut after creating more space!" Rebecca ordered. I wasn't sure if she was giving us a chance or if she feared close combat. Absol jumped back closer to the corner then swung its head around to build up momentum.

"Go for Flamethrower again!" No flinch, but a longer waiting time to ger the attack off. It was also inaccurate.

Psycho Cut came in the form of a meter-long purple curve that flew across the field. It started to dip as it approached Ninetales yet never lost momentum; cut straight through the terrain. She nearly outran the attack in a straight line but bailed left as a safety precaution. I took a moment to admire how fast she was.

"Use that speed to your advantage! Find the best angle for a Will-O-Wisp!"

"Keep it away with Psycho Cut!"

Ninetales' superior speed kept her out of trouble. Quick pivoting allowed her to change directions without having to worry about being exposed. Absol didn't have the stamina to keep up on offense or dodge forever. She finally scored a direct hit.

"Just like that! Follow up with Hex!"

For a move that wasn't very effective, it was cool to witness. Neon purple wisps made their way over to Absol then collapsed on top of it. He grunted from the initial damage plus the burn. Ninetales turned to me with a "did I do that?" look. I nodded and she smiled back.

"We've only got one shot to make this work! Night Slash!" Rebecca ordered confidently.

"Flamethrower!" The dark type let out a loud roar to pump itself up. An all-out rush while zig zagging made Ninetales take a few steps back. "Don't worry about hitting it!"

She took that to heart as fireballs were shot to her heart's content. Most of them missed and the ones that hit didn't seem to affect Absol. It got close enough to jump with its dominant claw covered in black. Ninetales let out another one a point-blank range after taking the initial hit. The two had collapsed a few feet from each other when the smoke cleared.

"Looks like a draw," Rebecca said while running over. "Great job Absol! Get some rest."

I knelt down next to my new teammate. "That was amazing! We'll heal you up then get some dinner." She looked dumbfounded about getting praised; I chalked it up to her being dazed.

"Close call at the end. I thought Absol had it for sure," Rebecca said as we walked back to the house.

"It shouldn't have been that close even with Swords Dance because of the burn."

A big grin appeared on her face. "We're familiar with moves that limit Absol's attacking power. Night Slash has a high critical hit ratio and Absol's ability is Super Luck. That combination puts a dent in a lot of Pokémon."

"How come that didn't work against Aggron when we battled for the house?"

"The odds of a critical hit with that combo can be boiled down to a coin flip." She stopped to look up at the clouds rolling in. "It's easy to say this now, but… I'm glad luck wasn't on my side that time."

Doctor Ellis' portable healing machine surprised Ninetales as she came out of her ball looking for bruises. The rest of my team surrounded her to show admiration for a well-fought battle while dinner was being prepared. Unsure about how to take the praise in, she stared at the ground emotionlessly. It was the most depressing thing I had ever seen from a Pokémon.

Jack showed up just as we started eating. He came back with three large grocery bags filled with things for the house plus a 1.75-liter bottle of 80 proof vodka. Dinner conversation revolved around how Jack helped with inventory sheets for the Pokémon Center and checking to see if anything new was at the mart. I simplified my day while letting Rebecca fill in her side of the battle.

"Is Ninetales leaving with you tomorrow?" Jack asked as we cleaned up.

"Yup. My plan is to get her confidence up in battle but have her sit out the gym battle. No need to put her in a pressure situation so quickly. At the very least, she'll hopefully get more comfortable around me and her teammates."

"Good call. Now, let's celebrate before you hit the road again! You two do what you want with the vodka while I get the laptop. We're having a movie night."

I led everyone into the sun room to relax for the rest of the night. Rain started to fall outside so I shut the windows and left the door to the kitchen open. Rebecca came in with a tray filled with juice bottles plus a different, half-empty vodka bottle from another cupboard.

"What'll it be? Jack already has his drink."

"Mix the vodka Jack bought with the Qualot Berry juice and ice. This other one is a little strong for me." Ninetales sprinted over to knock the vodka bottle on the rug. "Someone's trying to get in on the action!" I jokingly said while picking it up. She gave me a stern look before going in the corner to play with a squeaky ball; I didn't think she liked my tone.

Rebecca poured the drinks in tall glasses while Jack had the movie picked out. I stared at the title screen hoping to find out what I was in for. Psyduck was the only Pokémon I instantly recognized with Wigglytuff taking longer than I thought. Two large groups of normal and water type Pokémon were staring each other down in the background.

"Have you seen this before?" Jack asked with a grin.

"Never was a movie fanatic. This looks intense though."

He laughed. " _Pokémon in Love_  is one of those 'so bad it's good' movies from Kanto. I don't know what Cleavon Schpielbunk was thinking when he made this. The man won a Golden Growlithe the year before with  _I Saw What You Ate Last Tuesday_. Then again, someone messed up and all the award statues were Arcanines that year so that might've thrown him off."

"I didn't understand a word you just said."

"Don't worry about it. Are you up for a drinking game?"

Fond memories of my time as a janitor in the break room came back. "Go on."

Rebecca came in with the full tray. "Every time you think Wigglytuff acts bitchy, drink for three seconds. Every time Psyduck tilts its head in confusion, take a drink. When the first fighting type comes in, drink for seven seconds then feel free to stop because it goes downhill from there."

"Maybe we should modify it. We're not trying to kill him," Jack playfully joked.

"There's no way it could be  _that_  bad… right?" I nervously asked. It was weird to see them more causal than me.

"It's a Pokémon-only movie," Jack said. He took a shot of pure vodka before pressing play.

My liver was tested over the span of nearly two hours. I found it hard to believe the people working on it did so with a straight face. The fact that the film even made it to the editing stage was impressive. Psyduck was the main source of our drinks since her looked like he genuinely had no clue what was going on. Wigglytuff had that aura of a prima donna as a Pokémon off the set but we still had our fair share of drinks because of her.

The fighting types coming in near the end caused me to roll onto the floor laughing in a drunken stupor. Linoone poked his head into the living room to make sure I wasn't going crazy. We stayed up for another two hours watching videos breaking down the movie and how it came to be. Not a single drop of alcohol was left by midnight. They had a lot more than I did and I was only slightly buzzed by that point.

"Jack… Rebecca… that was funny as fuck," I said between laughs. "Thanks for tonight."

"Oh no problem! You gonna go to bed?" Rebecca asked still wasted; Jack had passed out on the couch.

"Shower first. Bed second," I mumbled. "Night!"

One trip to the bathroom plus two glasses of water did wonders for my body. I ended up staying in the upstairs bathroom shower long enough to go from buzzed to just plain tired. Downstairs was quiet as I came out in a towel and headed to the master bedroom. Ninetales was trying to turn the doorknob for the room next to me but backed away to the end of the hallway when I saw her.

"Let me get that for you." She didn't move when I opened it. "Are you alright?" Not even a flinch.

Her attitude changed as I got ready for bed. She sat in the doorway trying to stay awake as I checked on my burn. While changing in the master bathroom, Ninetales rested at the foot of the bed. I couldn't help but smile.

"You want up?" Her ears perked up along with her head. "I'll tuck you in."

The fire type hopped onto the flat side before embracing the softness. A small purr came out as I readjusted the angle of my side. Once the nightstand light went off, I felt her head dig into my shoulder and her tails covered my legs from the knees down.

"I'm glad you gave me a chance."

* * *

Planning the final details to Mossdeep was more mentally taxing than I thought. I nearly forgot an item from the glass case that Ninetales broke. Altaria was thrilled to fly all the way to Lilycove without stopping, but I had to squirm a lot near the end to keep the blood flowing in my legs. Weather conditions were calm most of the way there; a strong headwind around route 121 forced me to slow down.

Lilycove's department store had everything I needed for my immediate needs. I spent 50,000P on an assortment of healing items, repels, toiletries, and a map. Food for all of us ended up costing 15,000P. I found a 2,000P pair of flying goggles to help me if the wind got too bad. There were a few TM discs that I had to talk myself out of buying. I lost my millionaire status with those purchases; not like I was broke with over 900,000P sitting in the bank. Having a full backpack was more important anyway.

Winona's experience about flying over the sea echoed in my head as I oriented my compass. All weather reports pointed to a smooth first part of the trip. Altaria effortlessly flew to a series of elevated rock formations with loose dirt relatively close to Lilycove on route 124 where I set up camp for the night. Crashing waves below provided a relaxing ambiance during dinner.

Ninetales had come out of her shell more than I expected. Being touched by her teammates was something she still wasn't comfortable with although she rolled with it. Pouring her an extra serving after everyone was done got me some stares despite the fact she needed it. I caved in and gave them more food. She was disappointed about having to sleep in her ball.

Day two started off well then became more concerning as the day went on. Sunlight gave way to clouds and the wind picked up. Sadie had always warned us that those were early signs of a thunderstorm due to a low-pressure system. I made Altaria land on a small beach to scout the situation on my PokéNav.

"And the weather is… not loading. No map either. Gotta love it when there's no signal. So much for a nice trip," I groaned.

I took out the paper map to plan my next move. A series of small beaches and elevated patches of rock were scattered throughout the route. The only manmade shelter was a house located on a larger beach closer to Mossdeep.

"Do you have a lot of energy left?" I asked Altaria. She nodded. "Forget my fear of going too fast. A storm's coming and we have to get moving. I'll try not to squeeze you too hard."

Flying on her under pressure was a call back to when I ran away from Jon. My plan consisted of holding on for dear life while looking down for the house. The weather seemingly deteriorated every minute until I heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. With no house in sight, I redirected Altaria to a large beach with a cliff. She sulked as I tried to find a spot to take cover.

I went back to stand in front of her with her ball. "You did a good job. Get some rest."

After quickly consulting the doctor's field guide, I made my move. The best option avaible was to set up camp close to the middle of the beach. No trees were around and there wasn't really a low point that I knew of.

Rain came down in droves as I finished putting the basic frame together. Getting stakes to stay in the ground was a chore and putting the rainfly on was damn near impossible. I threw myself in before stripping down to my boxers.

"Fingers crossed I have some dry clothes buried in my backpack." Everything came out damp. "Suck it up Ryan, you're almost there," I huffed.

Hours passed before the storm had blown over. In that time, I tried to come up with a winning combination for a double battle against psychic types. Aggron and Magneton was my best pair due to their steel typing. It would also take a lot of effort for any psychic type to keep a hold on Aggron. Linoone had a new tool waiting plus his speed; he could go with anyone. Altaria was a neutral choice for her skillset. Ninetales would be good except I didn't want to put her in a tough spot so soon.

The rest of the journey was more annoying than anything else. Shoving a soaked tent back into its bag, dealing with sandy damp clothes, experiencing leftover headwinds, and rushing to get into the city before sundown made me swear under my breath the entire ride. Seeing the house after only five minutes of flying caused me to scream out of frustration. We finally landed near the steps to the city at dusk; Altaria playfully rolled on her back.

"Good girl! Thank you!" I said while rubbing her belly. "Eat up. We'll get you to the Pokémon Center too."

She gobbled up dinner but wanted me to carry her the rest of the way. Nurse Joy thought it was something serious until Altaria proved her wrong. I had everyone else eat while I went up to the counter.

"Is there a chance I could get a room?"

"We have a few left."

"Can you also sign me up for a gym battle tomorrow?"

Nurse Joy spent a lot of time typing. "I put you in for 9:15 since it was the only open slot. There's someone before you but please arrive early. Altaria is all set too."

An early double battle? Rough. "Appreciate it."

"Best of luck!"

"Oh! I almost forgot… was there a package for me? Here's my Pokédex." She went in a back room and came out with an envelope.

"Here you go!"

"Express shipping is an amazing thing. I'm all set. Have a good night!"

* * *

Tossing my clothes on the floor to air them out was better than doing laundry; it wasn't worth staying up late into the night. The tent had a decent amount of sand stuck to it, but I didn't want to have it crammed in its bag until after the battle. Explaining the situation and asking for a broom to clean at 8:15 in the morning was a bitch. Nurse joy was nice enough to look after my things until after the battle.

After prepping my team with a quick breakfast, I spent some alone time with them. Aggron and Magneton received a polishing, Linoone got his Silk Scarf readjusted, Altaria had her Dragon Fang tucked in tighter, and Ninetales got her personal item I grabbed from the house. She poked it then gave me a confused look.

"Charcoal sticks can make you stronger. All I need to do is find a place to put it. Maybe in your mane?"

She let me poke around until it landed in a good spot. It was hidden in her undercoat off to the side where it wouldn't distract or hurt her in battle. Her body heat made it stick and the black disappeared from her fur. I was given a long lick as a thank you.

The gym's lighting illuminated the north side of the city. Nurse Joy wasn't lying about them having a full day; a lunch break was all the staff had for extended down time. I understood the life of a gym leader was busy, but Wattson never had it that bad. A calm aura came from the place when I walked in.

"I'm here for my 9:15 battle with Tate and Liza. Name's Ryan."

"Very well. Which option would you like?"

"Uh… what?"

The receptionist pulled out a piece of paper. "Option one is to go through the gym puzzle like normal and have the leaders use two Pokémon. Option two allows you to immediately challenge the leaders. However, they will be allowed to use four Pokémon."

To me, that felt like a prisoner's dilemma scenario. Spend more time in the gym with a presumably easier battle at the end or deal with a presumably harder battle right away. A with four Pokémon on each side allowed for more flexibility yet I sighed at the thought of how mentally exhausting it would be. Either way, it was going to be a double battle. I looked at the Poké Balls on my belt then back up.

"Option two."

"You got it. I'll send a message to all staff. In the meantime, please have a seat. There's a battle currently in progress on field one." I dozed off until my name was called at 9:30.

A referee took me through a side door as opposed to the large purple one in the middle of the lobby. We went down a long hallway filled with various statues of psychic types from all over the world. Latias and Latios had the biggest ones; my heart felt heavy when I saw them. The path split up into three different doors.

"We're going on field two since field one was just used," the referee noted.

"What's field one?"

"A mostly flat field in a planetarium setting. I'd like to think most trainers are split between that and the one you're going to battle on. Here were are."

The surrounding area looked something out of a ghost gym. A large blue floating circular platform on top of a rock was the field. A standard field was marked by red lights as a reference point. Darkness was below although I chalked that up to dramatic effect. Just like Winona's gym, I had to go up a set of stairs from the side to reach it. Other platforms containing trainers were scattered throughout the gym. Bleachers were on the side opposite the stairs with a large monitor; there was a crowd of about 150 people ready for a battle. Each leader stood at the center.

"Welcome to the Mossdeep Gym. I'm Tate…"

"… and I'm Liza! Hope you brought your…"

"… A game!"

I could help but stare at them.

"Off topic, but Roxanne said she was the youngest gym leader. You guys look younger than she does." They laughed.

"We're older than her by one month," Liza started. "We find a way to remind her…"

"… if she's being a smartass," Liza finished with a grin.

The way they finished each other's sentences was a little creepy. I could forgive the introduction, but there's no way they rehearsed that second part. Was it a sibling thing or something else? I didn't want to be messed with, so I shut up. The referee came in for the rules.

"Each side will be using four Pokémon in a modified double battle format. The battle is over when all Pokémon from either side have been deemed unable to battle or if either side forfeits. There will be yellow lines on areas that are out of bounds. If a Pokémon touches any part of those areas, it will count as a disqualification. All other league rules apply. Any questions by the challenger?"

"Nope."

"Wait for my cues and best of luck to both parties." We shook hands then went to our respective sides.

I closed my eyes to focus. Eight badges would get me into the Hoenn League, but there wasn't a rule on where I could get them from. It would have been easy to hop on a boat or plane to another region and win a badge overseas. Then again, the Hoenn League prided itself on double battles in preliminary rounds. No amount of money was going to get me out of that.

"Gym leaders Tate and Liza! Send out your first two Pokémon!" the referee roared over the crowd.

Tate went first. "Go Claydol!" Liza took longer to decide.

"Xatu, you're up!"

I broke out into a cold sweat. My plan of using Magneton and Aggron was shot down before the battle started. Claydol on its own was manageable; not so much in a double battle. Based on my research, it would be stupid to not have Earthquake. The referee let me soak it in longer than I thought.

"Challenger, please make your selection."

"R-right. Aggron and… and… Altaria! You're up!"

"All four Pokémon are out. Begin!"

Yellow lines formed a grid in the air around the field. They also covered the outer portion of the rock holding up the field. If anyone but Altaria fell off the edge, I had to recall then quickly. I wasn't entirely sure how to start the battle.

"Aggron, use Rock Slide on both of them! Altaria, Dragon Pulse on Claydol!"

"Light Screen!" Tate ordered. Odd that he didn't go for the heavy hit right away.

"Psychic to defend yourself!" Liza yelled.

Claydol's eyes turned blue followed by light refracting around it. Most of Altaria's attack deflected off the barrier; some got through for a small hit. Aggron stomped on the ground sending rocks into the air; Claydol didn't bother to dodge since it didn't hurt too much. Dodging the smaller ones was easy for Xatu but it had to use Psychic to push bigger ones out of the way. It walked away without a scratch. Not a good start.

Liza looked on edge. "Confuse Ray on Aggron! Tate, back me up!"

"You got it! Claydol, Ancient Power on Altaria!" Blue flashes came from Xatu's eyes before Aggron looked around aimlessly.

"Shake it off and use Iron Head! Altaria, get away then use Dragon Breath on Xatu!"

With no specific target plus being confused, Aggron took longer to make its move. Claydol focused on hitting Altaria so much that it ended up getting blindsided; the attack still landed. Iron Head knocked the dual type Pokémon off the stage, but it hovered in the air well away from the yellow. Xatu took to the air to make Altaria's attack harder to land.

Dragon Breath looked pathetic going against Light Screen. It fizzled out faster than Dragon Pulse, but I got lucky with it paralyzing Xatu. A glow covered the psychic and flying type as it did a sweeping motion with its wings. Altaria instantly slumped to the ground then got up slowly.

"Synchronize is a really good ability for psychic types. Limiting their power with status conditions should come with consequences," Liza said.

I put on a smirk. "Too bad it doesn't matter this time. Altaria, return! Linoone, tag in!"

"Substitution acknowledged. Resume!" the referee stated.

Tate had a sparkle in his eyes. "Gotcha! Claydol, come back to the field and use Earthquake!"

"Aggron, rush in with Iron Tail! Linoone, use… dammit!" I forgot to give Linoone the contents in the package. "Go for Slash!" Liza went on the defensive.

"Keep Linoone away with Psychic!"

Luck was not on my side as Aggron punched the ground in its confusion. It clearly hurt his hands, but it didn't matter to him. Linoone sprinted to meet Claydol only to be repeatedly tossed aside. Earthquake eventually dealt a heavy blow to both my Pokémon. Ganging up on one Pokémon was my only chance to turn the momentum around.

"Snap out of it Aggron! Use Iron Tail on Xatu! Linoone, Sand Attack on Xatu!"

They simultaneously called out their next move. "Psychic!"

Aggron was still beating itself so Claydol opted not to jump in right away. Linoone got some sand in Xatu's eyes before being slammed into the ground. He rolled over on his side with his eyes closed. That act got Aggron back to normal, but Iron Tail was easily dodged.

"Linoone is unable to battle! Challenger, you have three remaining Pokémon," our referee said. I already had my mind made up.

"Go Altaria!"

Bringing her back out was my only good choice. Her immunity to Earthquake bought her more time on the field and she could keep Xatu in check. Ancient Power was still a problem unless she could fly fast enough to dodge.

"Natural Cure, huh? Clever! We don't see that too often," Liza complimented. Everyone was allowed to get set for the next round.

"Substitution acknowledged. Begin!"

I cupped my hands around my mouth after seeing Xatu forced to land because of paralysis. Getting even was within reach.

"Dragon Pulse on Xatu! Aggron, Rock Slide!"

Tate shook his head. "Forgetting something?"

"Shit!"

Altaria's attack was mostly deflected because of Light Screen. With Xatu a little weaker than last time, it almost fainted from what was left over. Aggron went to jump for a powerful Rock Slide.

"Xatu, try to get away or use Psychic!" Liza pleaded. It couldn't move due to paralysis from the earlier Dragon Breath."

"Claydol, use Earthquake to break the ground up first!"

Not what I wanted to hear. "Altaria, intercept Claydol with Fly!"

She flew as fast as she could to break up the attack; it wasn't fast enough. Earthquake made it harder for sizable rocks to make their way across the field. Whether or not it was an intended effect, Aggron fell through the floor. Altaria pecked away at Claydol until she needed to escape the attack. Xatu still took a lot of baseball-sized rocks to the head while its partner shrugged off the attack. After waddling from front to back a few times, Xatu fell on its back. The referee sprinted over and made a judgment.

"Xatu is unable to battle!" The attention tuned to Aggron who was almost covered entirely in rubble. A peek over the edge was done as well. "Aggron is out of bounds and physically unable to battle!"

I checked for myself and the referee was right. His foot was dangling in midair where the yellow lines would have been if that part of the platform was still whole. Just a little salt in the wound.

"According to league rules, a gym leader must make their selection first in a double knockout," the referee stated.

"Alrighty then, I choose Solrock! You only have one new Pokémon left…" Tate started.

"… what's it going to be?" Liza finished.

My back may as well have been against the wall. Two against three with one mystery Pokémon in their back pockets. Not like my final choice mattered since Claydol was still on the field. However, I noticed it was getting exhausted. Altaria was nearly powerless with Light Screen still in effect. Part of me wanted to forfeit, but the tide was easier to turn in double battles. Knocking Claydol out would make things a lot easier.

"I choose Magneton!"

Its carefree attitude and zipping around my side of the field relived some of my stress. Either it didn't know how much trouble I was in or it embraced the challenge. Everyone got a chuckle out of it.

"Substitutions acknowledged! Begin!"

I got Magneton's attention. "Flash Cannon on Claydol! Altaria, use Fly on Claydol too!"

"Ooh! Interesting strategy," Tate said. "Unfortunately, that might not be enough. Ancient Power on Altaria! Sis?"

"You got it! I'll wait for the right time."

Light Screen cut down the damage like usual except it faded after Magneton was done. Claydol's attack forced Altaria out and around; she wasn't fast enough to get away. One rock hit where a wing met the body and she went into a tailspin. Tate's Pokémon hovered closer for another round.

"Magneton! Cover her until she regains her balance!"

"Not so fast!" Liza retorted. "Solrock, Flamethrower!"

Helplessness washed over me as everything came to fruition. Magneton was intercepted by Solrock and then took a point-blank Flamethrower. Altaria tried to pull it together only to get hit again. Tate gave his partner a nod and it used Psychic to gently set her down on the field; she was out cold. My remaining Pokémon tried a Thunder attack but was overpowered by another Flamethrower. I put my head down well before the final decision was made.

"Both Magneton and Altaria are unable to battle. This match goes to the gym leaders, Tate and Liza!"

Our audience cheered for what they saw as an exciting battle. My mind was a jumbled mess trying to dissect what had happened as I walked to the center. We exchanged handshakes as a sign of good sportsmanship. I wished the leaders good luck since they had a lot more battling to do.

Walking back through the long hallway alone was eerily quiet. Seeing the Claydol statue made me ball my fists up in anger. How could I let that thing dictate the battle so easily? Linoone would've been perfect except I forgot the damn package. Things went from bad to worse on the way back to the Pokémon Center.

"Yo."

It was Seven. His nonchalant attitude was unnerving; he hadn't forgotten about me. I tried to play it off.

"Hello?"

A loud sigh came out. "Don't do this to me Ryan. I don't want to waste any more energy before my gym battle. Some idiot was cleaning their room too early this morning." I kept a straight face.

"Weren't you in the tournament last year?"

"You need to submit a paper application to enter the Hoenn League again after your first trip. Winning badges increases your rank among other applicants looking for another shot. Why be average when you can topple them?" He looked out to sea then back to me. "Dealing with you the way I want to in broad daylight isn't smart with all the witnesses. Also, I don't want to waste my day off so early. Goodbye… for now." He went into the gym full of confidence.

I couldn't feel my feet hit the ground on the way to the Pokémon Center.


	28. Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer: I do not own** **Pokémon but I do own my OCs.**

* * *

Reality hit me like a ton of bricks with each step. I was no longer safe in a place that was essentially in the middle of nowhere. Losing my gym battle made things more difficult since I had to comeback to the gym or waste time travelling to another region for a badge. Making Altaria fly me halfway across the region under pressure was something I also wanted to avoid.

Nurse Joy shot me a dirty look when I walked in the Pokémon Center lobby. She still healed my team but then grabbed my shirt when I tried to go to my room. I turned around to the sight of a handled vacuum in her free hand.

"Sir, we are not a hotel. Take this and clean up  _all_  the sand in your room. What you did this morning with the broom wasn't good enough."

Not what I needed to hear. "Alright. Is it fully charged?" I sighed.

"All the way. I'll check when you're done."

I didn't think it was that bad when I got a better look at the floor. After shaking off the pieces of my tent and mostly dry clothing, I somewhat understood where she was coming from. The vacuum needed two or three trips over an area to suck the sand up. My swear words per minute increased over the course of cleaning and continued while stuffing everything away.

Returning the damn thing took more time because I had to wait for her to take care of other trainers. I thought about walking out until I realized I needed to schedule a rematch through Mossdeep's Pokémon Center computer.

"Much better," she calmly said after inspection.

"Cool. Now, can I schedule a rematch for tomorrow after you heal my team?" We walked back to the front where she pulled up the schedule.

"You're in for 9:00 tomorrow morning," Nurse Joy bluntly stated.

Hard to tell if that was payback or if it was the only open slot. I was reluctantly willing to deal with an early battle because it gave me more daylight to escape the city. The plan for the rest of the day was simple: stay in open or populated areas to deter Seven from doing anything. Might as well waste his day off if he was going to follow me.

My first stop ended up being the mart to buy more Poké Balls. For a region that had a lot of water, I still didn't have a water type. It would've made the battle easier against Tate and Liza. Failing to catch one in Lilycove was a frustrating experience that left a bad taste in my mouth. Linoone could learn Surf but he wasn't a fan of getting wet; I wasn't sure he could handle me on his back for long trips. A small fishing stand for tourists was on the northwest part of the city past the space center.

"I'd like to rent a fishing rod please."

The shopkeeper handed me a rod plus some bait. "It's 1000P per hour. Be aware that people may battle with their catch. Good luck!"

A few people were on the adjacent beach itching for a bite. One woman who appeared to be around sixty years old had planned to spend the entire day in one spot with a personalized rod that looked like a Gyarados. Her tacklebox full of professional looking gear made me set up close by. We quietly sat for a few minutes before sharing a wave. She was in a beach chair when her line went taut.

"Wonder what we got this time!" She yanked the rod back and nearly fell over. "Almost no resistance too!"

She reeled it in as fast as she could. The excitement on her face seemed to double as a light brown fin broke the surface. I wasn't entirely sure what it was even as it came closer. A darker brown body came out along with a random red dot by its face. I took out my Pokédex for a description.

_Relicanth, the Longevity Pokémon. Its body can withstand pressure from the deep sea. The pectoral fins allow it to maneuver on the seafloor. Its species has lived for one hundred million years without changing._

The memory of seeing it in a school textbook came back to the front of my brain. It allegedly had an important connection in Hoenn's history, but nobody really remembered it. Based on its Pokédex entry, most people probably had a better chance of seeing the Eon duo. The thing didn't look so good when it was pulled onto the shore. I was waved over by the woman.

"Do you have any medicine in your bag?" she asked out of concern.

"A lot. What's the problem?"

We looked it over and found a small crack in its body with translucent needles sticking out. "It shouldn't be this close to the surface; took a Poison Sting from something. Most likely a Tentacool or Tentacruel."

"Full Heal should work," I responded before pulling the medicine out. "What about the needles?"

"Leave them in. You spray it and I'll take it to the Pokémon Center. Watch my things!" She sprinted away carrying it in her outstretched arms.

"But… I… ah dammit," I quietly moaned.

The experience was discouraging on multiple levels. A Pokémon so far out of its natural habitat was never a good sign, especially one that lives far away from any kind of activity. If the needles weren't poisonous, I wouldn't have minded pulling them out with my hands. Having a water type of that caliber pulled on shore so easily would never happen again. Negotiating a trade would've been nice.

I corralled her things by her chair then went back to fishing. Unfortunately, my Lilycove woes followed me to Mossdeep. One Tentacool finished the bait then wiggled off the hook, another one fired Bubble Beam as it came up, Linoone knocked one back into the sea with Pin Missile and then knocked out a few more making them uncatchable. Frequent battling resulted in him trying to learn Rest to which we both declined.

Getting a Wailmer out of the water left me tired on the mental side because of its weight. The first one I hooked barely made it on land when I chucked a ball. The small break allowed Linoone to get into a better battling position before it broke out. They went at it for a few minutes until Wailmer used Dive and never resurfaced. We stared at each other then laughed it off. I gave him a break after that.

Magneton got a turn on the condition it not use electric attacks; no sense in causing other people problems. Frustration slowly crept in as Tri Attack and Flash Cannon had a tough time breaking through the water. Metal Sound got a new Wailmer to hold still long enough for Tri Attack to hit. A burn was a welcome sign. I reached for my bag.

"Come on! Get the ball!"

It was shaking while falling into the sea. A crack could be heard from the edge of the water followed by a bright light. I went to throw another one only to be blinded by one of its moves, Mist. Following through proved to be pointless as I heard a splash. There was no sign of it after I could see clearly. Magikarps were immediately released after Magneton got to battle a few. I didn't have the patience to raise any of them into a Gyarados.

"Fuck this. I'm out," I huffed while slamming my fishing rod down. A few people laughed while others tried not to.

I heard footsteps behind me. "Not much of a fisherman, are we?" The woman was being lighthearted. I turned to the side to roll my eyes.

"You have no idea. All I want is a water type." I looked at my PokéNav. "Two hours and nothing to show for it."

"Why don't you stop for today and come with me? I can show you a useful item in our mart. It's the least I can do after you watched my things."

Paying the shopkeeper felt no better than physically burning money. One consolation was that Relicanth was going to be fine; the woman was right about everything. My Full Heal made immediate treatment easier by preventing another round of poisoning while the needles were being pulled out. It was going to be released by scientists with a tracker to help them map out the seafloor. Why did fate have to put more salt in my wounds?

Mossdeep's mart was larger than most on the mainland and had a wider variety of items. I was brought to the Poké Ball section where a glass case held one of every type they had. Nothing really stood out until the woman pointed to one.

"See that blue one with a little white on the top? That's a Dive Ball. It works better on Pokémon that you find living in the sea."

"Lilycove's department store didn't have these."

"To be fair, Mossdeep sometimes doesn't have them either. They're a hot item. Net Balls are the other popular type of ball since they work better on all water types that live on land or in the sea plus bug types. I think 1,000P per ball is a reasonable price."

Anything to help me catch a water type. "I'll take five of each," I said to the cashier.

"You got it." I was tapped on the shoulder on the way out.

"My husband and I can give you tips over lunch if you'd like." Staying at their place for an hour or two was helpful in the grand scheme of things.

"Why not? I have time to kill."

Her house was on an island to the north a few minutes away from the city via a small boat. The place was small but had all the essentials of comfy living. Numerous pictures of her inside the space center filled the house. Most of them were black and white while the ones in color weren't too great in terms of quality.

"Still working around rockets?"

"Not anymore. I'm enjoying retirement with my husband." She went to the back porch. "Honey! We have a guest. He's a trainer! Would you like to eat with us?"

"Oh? Sure!"

The husband looked older and was slightly shorter than his wife. Only one Poké Ball was on his belt; I wasn't going to ask about it. Battling didn't look like a hobby they were ever into.

Lunch was a relaxing experience. A hot meal and small talk about their lives was a nice break from the chaotic shitshow I was dealing with. They really enjoyed my carefully picked stories as well. Their granddaughter was on her own journey at seventeen. I gave a few pointers to pass long until the conversation went back to fishing.

"Just curious… what other Pokémon do you have?" the husband asked.

"Linoone, Aggron, Altaria, Magneton, and Ninetales."

There was a short pause. "Quite an unbalanced team, don't you think?"

His assessment threw me off although he wasn't wrong. I had done a good job suppressing a gaping flaw in my team: a weakness to ground types. Claydol was my worst nightmare that came to life. Fighting types weren't as bad with Ninetales' Will-o-Wisp or Aggron's massive defensive power. Guts could flip the script if I was too careless.

"Very unbalanced but I've been through a lot with them already. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world."

"Have you thought about adding other types besides water?"

"Of course. It's just that… I'm not sure if I would have the time or patience to raise more than six Pokémon."

The husband nodded. "I used only my partner here to run through four gyms. It would've been hard for me to manage even one more Pokémon after doing everything our way for so long. Besides, I was tired of the trainer life by that point and wanted a normal job. Acknowledging your shortcomings can help during preparation time." His wife came back in with a notepad and pen.

"I still love hearing that advice from him after thirty years," she said with a smile. A kiss on his forehead followed. "But now let's talk about how to catch a water type because it goes beyond fishing."

According to them, I had done most of the hard work each time. Proper amount of bait used, a good cast, having patience when a bite didn't come so easily and the ability to reel in heavier or feistier Pokémon were important traits. My problem was the battling portion. The wife drew a diagram of the beach we were on.

"When you hook a Pokémon, the first thing most of them do is try to get back in the water. Starting a battle to take their mind off that is good. The problem is maintaining their focus. You can do that in a number of ways."

"Chucking a ball and battling are my only options. What else is there to do?"

She pointed to her head then started marking the paper. "You need to open your mind to more possibilities in battle. For example, have your Pokémon stand between your catch at the water. Use attacks that push it inland more."

"That'll leave me wide open."

"Protect yourself with another Pokémon if you feel the need to. Out of fairness, I wouldn't have it attack unless it's an absolute emergency," she retorted. Never learned that in school.

"Doesn't work so well if there's no land around," her husband laughed.

"Why don't you tell him about Shoal Cave mister smarty pants?" she teased. He stood up and kissed her on the cheek.

"Smarty pants? Don't be jealous because I go there more than you do. Come on! Let's go on the deck."

A sturdy elevated deck added to the cozy vibe of the house. Small islands were to the east while Shoal Cave rested slightly northwest. Two entrances were visible through a pair of binoculars. One was nearly underwater while another one was above it. A portion on the east side of the cave was significantly taller.

"High tide usually floods the cave from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock; am or pm doesn't matter. You'll get a wider variety of Pokémon if you go then. The league has put up lights and signs to guide trainers. It's kind of feels like a mine. Paths were formed by erosion plus humans from long ago so there's plenty of room to explore. Some items might've snuck in through small cracks too."

Exploring at low tide offered me more land and safety at the cost of diversity. Also, there sounded a lot of room to explore and hide if I got into trouble. Coming out of there with anything before nightfall would be a successful trip.

"I don't have a way to get there unless you want to take me."

"No problem! A ferry on the west side of the city goes there and a schedule is posted every day. Be careful once you're in there because some areas can fill up even during low tide. Then there's an icy section with more hostile Pokémon."

"Any reason why?"

He looked at the cave through his binoculars. "Have you ever seen a Spheal?"

"Only on paper. They look adorable to be honest."

"Rumor has it that a pink one was discovered two weeks ago. Multiple trainers have come out of there with stories of Pokémon shooing them away and blurry photos."

I titled my head. "Was it really so hard to get a clean shot?"

"You ever been chased by a Pokémon before?" he asked with an innocent smile. If only he knew.

"Fair point. Would you mind if my team ate out here? They're never seen a view like this."

Lunchtime for them wasn't as enjoyable as previous ones. Getting dismantled by Tate and Liza affected them as much as it did me. Even Ninetales, the one partner I didn't use, fed off the somber mood. I figured it made more sense to go through the gym normally with only two Pokémon for the leaders the second time around.

"Double battles aren't our strong suit. It was a test that I as a trainer wasn't prepared for; shit happens sometimes. You did the best you could. We're back at it tomorrow with what I think will be an easier path." I gave them a lot of time to finish eating and enjoy the ocean view.

Reflecting on my short time on the island led to a small yet crucial realization. Community service was something I hadn't been keeping up with. I asked the wife to call home and tell the housekeepers what I did at the beach because it would sound more credible. She obliged and gave them a fair assessment. After being told it was noted, I breathed a small sigh of relief.

Under the umbrella of leaving, I recalled my team except for Ninetales. She got her extra food and had appeared to gain a little bit of weight back. Another sign of good health was that she ate it at a normal pace. Her full potential was closer to being achieved each time I let her out. I eventually swapped her for Linoone.

"Come sit with me, buddy. I have a surprise for you."

I leaned against the side of the deck and tapped my thighs. He slowly crawled into my lap then rubbed his head on my stomach. A quiet purr came out when I scratched his head. Being on the road had made him softer on the emotional side which was overdue. Being nice as a former street Pokémon in or letting his guard down in Mauville wasn't ideal. The loss left a bigger sting than any of the previous ones and I think he knew why.

"Those gym leaders didn't give you much of a chance to do your thing, did they?" He covered his eyes. "You have worked  _so hard_ up to this point, Linoone. I don't want your work to go to waste. How about I give you a new move?"

He slowly looked up and nervously stared. I would've liked to assume that Pokémon knew where they stood in relation to others. The species wasn't too impressive in any tangible category except for maybe speed plus their natural move pool left a lot to be desired. A lot of pride came with the moves he used because extra effort was needed to make them work. I pulled out the package containing a dark purple TM disc.

"This is Shadow Claw. It's a ghost type attack that works exactly like Slash. I had it expressed shipped all the way from Alola! Can't remember if it was from Malie City or Konikoni City. Anyway, this is what I should've given you before the battle."

Linoone had a right to be skeptical of the news. I doubt he, as a normal type, would've dreamed about learning a move primarily meant for ghosts. The lack of exposure to TM discs didn't help either. He took a few steps back out of uncertainty.

"I promise it'll be quick. Sand Attack is going to stay if that's what you're worried about." His kept his body low while walking forward. "You'll like it better than Pin Missile."

Another pause although he put his body back in a more relaxed position. Pin Missile was more of a last resort and painfully weak. It was also arguably the least annoying of his moves. He could hit ghost and psychic types effectively on the physical side plus use his speed to find better angles. A small set of instructions fell out of the envelope. I looked at the side for those with a Pokédex.

_First, go to settings on your Pokédex. Select the menu item regarding TMs and then hover over the disc with your Pokédex. Once the disc is acknowledged, select the move you wish to delete. The data will then transfer to the disc. Last, either point the Pokédex at the Pokémon learning the move or have them touch the disc._

For the sake of simplicity, I let Linoone touch it on his own after the previous steps were completed. White light surrounded him before scattering via tiny balls. He looked around for a bit unsure about what had happened. I encouraged him to give the move a small test drive. After hyping himself up, the move came to fruition.

His original claw had become covered in a dark purple, possibly black shadow that came out a few inches from his body. The shadow had three claws equidistant from each other as opposed to Linoone's two that were next to each other. Despite the change, he still had total control of the attack. There was a twinkle in his eyes well after he stopped. My oldest partner threw himself at my chest for a big hug.

"Good boy! I knew you'd like it!" I let him nuzzle me until he wanted to go back in his ball.

The prospect of catching a different colored Spheal swayed me into visiting Shoal Cave. Magneton could keep all the native Pokémon in check or battle if it came down to that. Low tide starting meant that a lot of people took the ferry over. An old man greeted everyone with the promise of making a Shell Bell if the proper ingredients were brought to him; not my thing but still interesting to hear.

A large map had the layout of the cave plus the danger zones when high tide came around. Even lower rooms had places where someone could sit tight until the water receded. I walked through two openings then saw a fork in the path after the second one. To the right was a steep slope and to the left was a more open pathway up on a ledge. I went left.

Lights that lined the walls near the entrance became scarce over time. Markers for any directions were faded if not completely gone, laminated fact plaques for tourists had become weathered, and the glass protecting the maps had a thick layer of salt. The screws holding everything together were extremely rusty. No clear path was in front of me after a certain point.

Zubat and Golbat were the only Pokémon I had a close encounter with along the way. They swooped down from the ceiling with the intention to send me running back. Magneton was my answer alternating between its three damaging attacks and waiting to attack them in groups. A Sealeo was too far away for me to do anything with and wigged through a small crevice when it saw me fighting off the flying types. I took a break when I felt safe enough.

"Thanks for all your work, Magneton. Have a snack." A portable charger was placed on a magnet. "I think I need one too. It's almost 6:00."

After eating a cereal bar, I saw that there wasn't a way to advance. The annoying backtracking was made easier with repels. One group of Golbat wanted a second crack at me but kept their distance. I opted to spray another repel when they started to creep closer. Magneton got fed up with the eyeballing and fought back with Thunder on its own. We eventually made our way back to the fork with the slope.

"Not sure if I can climb this. Take a break magneton. Altaria, I need some help." She came out looking around at the cave. "Could you fly me over?"

Her presence caught the attention of a single Snorunt wandering about. It stared at us then slowly backed up. A cloud of ice started to come out of its mouth but ended up petering out when I saw something on the top of the slope. Light blue coloring stood out among the dirt.

"Cool! It's a TM disc! Wonder what it is?" I scanned it with my Pokédex. The loud beep scared the Snorunt, so I muted it before reading the page.

_Frost Breath, TM 79, is a moderately strong ice type attack that always results in a critical hit from the user blowing ice on the target._

None of my other Pokémon could learn it so it wasn't a great find. Still, it was a nice addition that could benefit Rebecca or Jack if they caught an ice type. I heard another trainer call out their Pokémon in the room before the one I was currently in. I guided Altaria to the other side where a ladder and rugged slope waited for me. Snorunt fired its ice attack at me when I took a step in its direction. I ducked then saw it run away.

"The fuck was that for?" A stream of fire came past me and just missed the ice type.

"I find it funny how you haven't done anything to me, but I still hate you." It was Seven with his large fire type I couldn't quite remember. Its spiky shell looked impenetrable even against Aggron, but the rest of its gray body looked soft. "At least Jen and Mister V have their reasons. All I wanted was a day off," he groaned.

"Call him Ardos instead of Mister V. He prefers that," I said trying to stall for time. Despite the potential for echoing, we were far off the beaten path.

"No wonder he wants you dead. You could've played dumb. We get a bonus if any of us bring you back alive so he can deal with you personally. He won't be too upset if you're dead before that point."

I was too nervous to ask if he had backup or if he was alone. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter. His team had mine beat in nearly every aspect. Overpowering him for an escape wasn't going to turn out well.

"Does he honestly think that anyone would believe me?" After having that sentiment for so long, it sounded believable when it came out of my mouth.

He put on a scowl. "No… but that doesn't mean he's willing to take a chance. I don't know or care about what he does specifically, but I make good money battling for him. Frankly, I'd like to keep it that way."

It sounded like he was being honest. Seven was their money grabbing trainer that happened to have an excellent commission on tournament wins. Even as a top employee, I didn't think he knew about Latias or the bullshit that went on inside the Mauville facility. Getting paid was all that mattered at the end of the day.

"Really? You guys are one big mistake away from being shut down. Going after me will only speed up the process. Same thing with going to the police. Get me arrested and I'll unload everything I have to them."

"Okay… that's funny! We don't need the police's help to deal with you. Also, I beat your Pokémon into submission last time we met. Do you honestly think you caught up to my team's strength since then?"

"Unless you walk away from the opening back to the entrance, we're about to find out."

A smile formed on his face. "I'm down for it. As a courtesy, I'll give you the first move. Choose wisely."

I reached for my pockets and tried to point my Pokédex at his fire partner from the left pocket. Since the sound was off, I had to hope the initial data was recorded. My other hand in my right pocket found a Poké Ball. Any hope of escaping had to come down to old habits.

"I'm swapping Altaria for Linoone," I casually said.

The concerned look on Altaria's face when the beam hit her almost had me shedding a tear. Linoone's street instincts kicked in almost instantly; he knew there was a problem. Seven put on a serious face.

"Hard to tell if that was a smart decision or a stupid one. Either way, that was your freebie. Flamethrower!"

Orange flames shot out of his Pokémon's snout faster than I expected. He had every intention of burning me to a crisp since the stream was aimed at my head. Linoone veered off to the side while I went in the other direction. A side wall became scorched and some water started leaking through.

"Use your speed to attack the soft part of its body with Slash!" I ordered on a hunch it wasn't going to be fast.

"You know what to do!"

The fire type's shell turned red while it stood in place but didn't appear to do anything else. My gamble initially paid off as Linoone got a clean hit across the chest. Seven's Pokémon turned around and shot out all eight spikes on its back that happened to be engulfed in flames. Linoone was smothered after taking a sharp edge to the middle of his body; I recalled him as quickly as possible. Another set of spikes grew to replace the old ones.

"Wha… what was that?" I nervously asked.

"Something your Pokémon can't handle. Unfortunately, it won't work on you. I'll settle for Flamethrower!"

All I could do was run behind the nearest pile of rocks. Heat radiated around the area while a few cinders made their way onto my clothes. I dug into my pocket to grab the first Poké Ball I felt. There was no time to be choosy. Flashing light from the ball was enough to stop the attack. Aggron started charging ahead the moment he materialized.

"Hold on! It's too dangerous!" I was surprised Aggron heard me because I was still hiding.

Seven turned to the steel type. "Looks like I get another chance to smash you into the ground. Luckily for you, it won't be from Slaking."

With the short break, I poked my head out and slyly pointed my Pokédex at the opposing Pokémon. Aggron inadvertently helped me out by trying to get into a better position. I took cover when the page finally loaded.

_Turtonator, the Blast Turtle Pokémon. Because its shell is extremely volatile and chemically unstable, it is prone to exploding on impact. More moisture in the air can lead to the following: a weaker explosion, a lower chance of an explosion, or no explosion at all. Its weak point is the hole on its stomach._

"Fuck! I wish everything was avaible before catching a Pokémon. Let me look you up," I mumbled. The two Pokémon had started running at each other and I frantically typed on my PokéNav. "Hybrid fire and dragon type; rare combination." I stepped out into the open as Seven was analyzing the situation.

"Shell Trap!" I winced as the shell started to heat up.

"Please stop Aggron! Wait it out!" He turned back at me in a quick fit of rage. To him, sitting back was dangerous. "Trust me," I pleaded.

Turtonator held in the energy as long as possible then collapsed in a dizzy spell. In a positive turn of events for me, landing on the ground caused a small explosion that sent it tumbling backwards. No contact from an attack meant the stored energy couldn't properly be released.

"Now's the time to strike! Double-Edge!" I yelled.

Aggron sprinted ahead with a prime opportunity to inflict a heavy hit. While the volatile Pokémon was trying to stand up, Aggron lowered its head and used its arms to piledrive it into the side of the cave. There was no explosion on impact and I saw a sudden burst of water fall from the ceiling. Both Pokémon were less than thrilled.

"Hope it was worth it. Overheat!"

"Iron Head on its stomach!"

My partner was still on top of Turtonator and delivered a point-blank shot. Overheat came out but it was wildly inaccurate while also being much weaker. A small bit of fire made its way onto Aggron's body but not enough to severely hurt it. I tried to run away in the chaos but Seven started to follow me.

"Bury it with Rock Slide! Do anything you can to knock it out!" I screamed as he was closing in.

One stomp on the dense ground caused loose rocks to fall from above. He also continued to pound away with Iron Head until they were covered. The onslaught diverted Seven's attention which allowed me to hide on my stomach behind a smaller set of rocks. I pulled my head up just enough to see the dust settle. Aggron roaring in victory while emerging from the pile was so satisfying to see.

"Good to see you're better at something besides running!" Seven angrily yelled while calling back the unconscious Turtonator. "Only five Pokémon to go. Dusknoir, you're up next!"

I still didn't believe I had the manpower to get through the rest of his team. Aggron's footsteps got faster then I heard the two Pokémon going at it. Seven turned his back to me hoping I was behind another set of rocks. His hunch was the break I needed. Linoone got called back out.

"Alright Linoone, let's fix you up," I whispered while putting my backpack down.

Using a Revive got him fully conscious although he was still aching. I put my index finger over my mouth then covered his mouth. Applying a Super Potion forced a grunt, but it wasn't enough to draw attention. Linoone wiggled away from my grip looking annoyed; being restrained in any capacity has always flipped a switch in his head.

"Bitch at me later. We need to get out of here now."

Neither Aggron nor Dusknoir could get an advantage. Psychic from the ghost type initially held Aggron in place but squirming got him free. Iron Tail and Rock Slide constantly missed. Seven turned his attention back to the battle; he looked at a ball on his belt. I turned to Linoone.

"I need you to go over to the other trainer and use Sand Attack on him." He blankly stared at me. "This is worse than the streets, Linoone. Dick measuring contest? No! Turf war? No! Our lives are in danger. Fuck morality. I'll back you up if it gets dicey," I hissed.

Back when I caught him as a Zigzagoon, it took weeks before he stopped attacking people. Punishment in battles was always a forfeit; kept his mind in the right place. He quickly understood that there was no place for that. Any other instance was usually a taking to or more time inside of his ball. To hear those words come out of my mouth must've been mind-blowing.

Linoone waited until the moment was right to rush in. Seven's focus went away from the Aggron-Dusknoir skirmish to the charging normal type. He got a hand on a ball but went to rubbing his eyes after the digging started.

"Playing dirty? Fine!" he yelled in a fit of rage.

Dusknoir used Shadow Ball to create distance from Aggron then used Psychic to pick Linoone up. Aggron retaliated with a blindside Iron Tail to loosen the hold. Linoone kept his distance until I motioned for him to move. I took a turn with a clothesline tackle while he was still rubbing his eyes. How he stayed conscious was a mystery to me. Holding him down also took more effort than I anticipated.

"Someone didn't get into fights growing up. Welcome to my world, bitch," I huffed while smiling.

I wailed on him without regard for anything. Any form of contact was good enough for me. Most blows grazed the top of his head. A few punches found his cheek while one punch to the hard ground slowed me down. I felt my body being pulled up in a blue light only to dissipate when Aggron roared behind me; he had knocked the ghost type down again. Seven did his best to retaliate.

When I ran out of energy, Linoone hopped in to continue the beatdown. He showed enough restraint because his claws were kept normal sized while scratching. The man who intended to kill me managed to wiggle enough to get his hand on a ball.

"Covet!" I gasped. Linoone ran into Seven's arm causing his glimmer of hope to roll to the side.

Shadow Ball came in short of our pile and we were sent scattering. A large rectangle formed in the room with a light blue and while checkerboard design shortly after. Linoone moved like he was in mud while Dusknoir zipped over to pick him up with Psychic. Aggron ran over faster than I had ever seen but was blown across the way into a wall by a Shadow Ball from the ghost type's hand. Yellow beams connected Linoone with Dusknoir while I staggered to my feet; my partner looked weaker by the time it was over.

Picking up the loose Poké Ball was risky and I had hoped nobody noticed I put in in my pocket. I called my two Pokémon back in the hopes my escape wouldn't be affected by the mysterious box. Seven had his eyes shut but was still conscious on his back as his partner blocked the pathway to the entrance.

"Enjoy your head start because I'll find you eventually. Dusknoir isn't going to let you leave," he managed to get out. I noticed his face had a few bruises plus a cut under his eye.

"And I'll be ready to beat your ass again."

The ghost type stared me down as I walked backwards. Cracks and loose rocks were scattered throughout the cave walls on my journey to find a new hiding place. My backpack felt heavier due to exhaustion, so I dragged it along the ground after finding it. I quickly turned to see if Seven was bluffing; neither of them had moved from their spots.

"Give me Swampert back you motherfucker!" he screamed while rummaging through his pockets. I put its ball down; no doubt he would send another Pokémon to retrieve it.

"Why don't you get it yourself? It's right here on the ground in plain sight," I shouted back.

Stealing another person's Pokémon was something I had never even considered in my lifetime until a few moments ago. It wasn't like I was going to sell it since I didn't know how to. Releasing it into the wild was an option but I needed a Pokémon Center PC to help with the process. It would send one hell of a message but also put an even bigger target on my back. Keeping or formally trading it would be a headache for the simple fact that it had no reason to listen to anyone else.

I had a lot of hiding spots yet no clear path back to the entrance. Knocking out Dusknoir or any other Pokémon he put there was the only safe way out. A loose pile of rocks moved when I couldn't see either of them. Out from the rubble came a Spheal. Not just any Spheal… a pink one. It looked young, scared, and injured. Catching it in its current state would leave a bad taste in my mouth; there were probably more hanging around. Seeing me caused it to roll away; it didn't go far because of the pain.

"Lost? I can get you home little guy."

It was still terrified, so I got Altaria to help me out. Her demeanor easily convinced the Clap Pokémon that I wasn't a threat. Poor thing must've gotten caught in the crossfire or was hiding from something else. While she was doing that, I attempted to assess my own body.

My hands were bruised and a little bloodied from the close combat. Despite being pinned down, Seven got a few decent shots at my chest. The pain only set it if I poked the small red areas. Altaria turned her attention to me as Spheal rolled up her wing and onto her back.

"Come on, we have to get moving. It's close to dusk. Repels should make things easier," I bluntly stated.

We progressed deeper into the cave per Spheal's guidance. Human interference had significantly decreased over the years judging by the lack of smooth pathways and less lights hanging on the wall. The temperature dipped dramatically when we crossed into another small room. Waves could be heard crashing against the outside with a lot of force. One path had a ladder at the end and an oddly smooth incline down. Spheal happily clapped as Altaria landed. It affectionately rubbed against my leg.

"Aww! How about a quick heal before going back?" It put on a mischievous smile then used some ice type attack to freeze the incline. It effortlessly rolled down the slope still clapping away. "Wait!"

It practically flew down into a section I couldn't see. Having Altaria fly into the unknown was a stupid idea so I called her back. Sliding down wasn't safe either; I could already feel my clothes and skin peeling off. Grabbing the ladder with my bare hand was a mistake seeing as it stuck to the cold metal. After breathing hot air on my hand and jamming it into my pocket for a few seconds, I dug out a spare shirt to help descend into the darkness.

My flashlight had to be cranked for a few minutes to generate a decent amount of light. From what I could see, the pathway was damp with water pooling on the sides. The temperature got colder with each step and a clearing with natural sunlight was around a corner. I couldn't help but stare in awe.

"It's… it's beautiful."

The room happened to be the largest room in the cave in width and height. A thin layer of ice covered most of the walls and floor in front of me. Other spots had a slushy consistency or were dry and crunchy. Sea salt was everywhere but it apparently wasn't enough to melt the ice. Light fixtures also had a thin layer of ice on them. There was a small hole at the top of the cave that allowed sunlight to come in. Unfortunately, it wasn't big enough to fly through.

Spheal hopped out from around a corner with an Oran Berry. Playful behavior after eating it made me breathe a sigh of relief; its injuries weren't as bad as I thought. It rolled around the ice while I carefully crossed over to the next patch of dry ground. To my surprise, it jumped into my arms. I held it in front of my face.

"You are so cute!" I playfully squealed. It clapped in approval then pointed straight ahead. "Go that way?" For a Pokémon with presumably limited human contact, it warmed up to me in a hurry. I wondered what Altaria said.

Walking around the room made me anxious. Normal colored Spheals came out of cracks along with Sealeos. They had a low growl going but didn't move. Snorunts dove behind rocks when they saw me and Golbats perched up near the top roosted on rocks closer to the ground. We climbed a set of carved out stairs to a higher level. The peanut gallery got noisy and Spheal reluctantly hopped out of my arms to climb up faster. A booming roar that echoed through the room silenced them.

Three Sealeos and a Glalie glared at me when I made it to the top.

* * *

**Have a good day and I will see you next chapter :)**

**-W4f**


	29. Mind Over Matter

My skin flushed at the sight of four angry Pokémon glaring at me plus the ones hanging out around the room. One sudden move would cause mass chaos and possibly lead to my death. Being frozen alive for more than a few minutes alone would take a serious toll on my body. Spheal slowly rolled to the other side of the slab of rock we were on.

Two Sealeos turned their attention to it after hiding behind them. The tiny Pokémon received a tongue lashing from them as if it was their child. Any backtalk was immediately shut down. Glalie and the third Sealeo kept their attention focused on me until the talk was over. A few grunts were shared before the Spheal was urged to share its side of the story.

I kept still while the Clap Pokémon presumably rambled on about its day. Everyone's attention became divided between it and me the longer it went on. Their faces had softened a little bit by the time it was over. After a small argument, Spheal made its way to me. I used that as an excuse to take a step back; the cold was getting to me. It pointed to my Poké Balls.

"Who do you want to see?"

It put me in a tough spot by creeping even closer. All the Pokémon held their breath as it rubbed up against my leg. Picking it up would've been acceptable in any other circumstance but I preferred to live. Sweat trickled down my face as it started to climb up my leg; I was too afraid to look down. My heart skipped a beat when it lost its balance while tapping the center of a ball. I nearly jumped when Ninetales materialized.

She had no clue about what was going on and didn't take it well. A Spheal with its eyes shut and clapping out of happiness didn't outweigh an army of wild Pokémon not thrilled with her appearance. Ninetales hide behind me hoping it wouldn't come to blows. Spheal opened its eyes to see what it saw was the wrong Pokémon and climbed up to let Altaria out. Her presence was arguably more stressful on me with all the ice types around.

Altaria was initially caught off-guard but read the situation quicker. Spheal started talking like they hadn't seen each other for years and Altaria rolled with it. She occasionally looked around to make sure it was safe but kept responding. Eventually, Spheal grabbed a wing and wanted to bring her over to the other four. All I could do was shrug my shoulders when Altaria looked at me in confusion.

For being so young, Spheal did a good job of convincing everyone that I wasn't a threat to them. It seemed to tout Altaria as the best Pokémon ever based on how much she blushed. I felt comfortable enough to recall Ninetales and sit down. The area had gotten slightly colder with less sun poking through the natural skylight, but I didn't want to risk her safety in a high-pressure situation.

The makeshift council huddled up then Glalie nudged Sealeo forward. It extended its flipper to Altaria to which she accepted with her wing. Having the support of the four Pokémon allowed the peanut gallery to breathe a sigh of relief.

I took some time to warm up by surveying the area. The room was essentially one giant rectangle with multiple layers. Most of them required a lot of effort to reach since there was no distinct path leading to the higher levels.

Dinner was interesting to say the least. I stayed on the rock slab but moved to the side trying to keep a low profile. Linoone was still upset about being manhandled during the battle with Seven. An apology and belly rubs were enough to get him to lighten up. We still got a few curious looks as my team scarfed down their food. The non-parent Sealeo became interested in Aggron so it got closer.

The two talked longer than I thought with Aggron deferring to Linoone. My oldest partner occasionally pointed to the rest of the team plus me. After the in-depth introduction, Sealeo slid across the slab to Glalie. Their conversation was serious from the start and became heated at times. It ended on a calm note and Sealeo came over to touch the top of the Poké Balls on my belt.

"You… you want to come along with me?" I dug a Dive Ball out of my bag. "Here's an empty one. Welcome to the team!"

It slapped the ball out of my hand then made its way to the middle of the area. Aggron followed from a distance and they took their places on the makeshift field. It took me a second to piece it together and take my place behind my Pokémon. Glalie and the other two Sealeo from the council presumably ordered everyone else to stay out of the battle. Spheal was consoled by the three after everything was in place.

"Are you a family friend perhaps? Maybe a babysitter?" I asked knowing I couldn't understand its response. "Regardless, I find it interesting that a completely wild Pokémon would voluntarily join a trainer. You'll get our best! Aggron, Rock Slide!"

Aggron took a huge chunk of the field out with his attack. Sealeo spent time spraying as much of the ground as possible with a colorful beam of ice instead of dodging. The decision caused it to take a heavy hit; I was surprised it came out of the rubble.

"Use Rock Slide again!" Sealeo waited until the last second to propel itself on the ice floor.

The Ball Roll Pokémon took great pleasure sliding about to dodge the attack. Rocks couldn't fall fast enough to land a hit. Not even the biggest one seemed to break up the thin sheet of ice. Sealeo was circling around us trying to get in a good position.

"Disrupt its flow with Iron Tail!"

I knew damn well that Aggron didn't have the coordination to go after it so breaking the ground was the next best thing. Sealeo hopped to a dry spot before firing a water attack from its mouth when Aggron moved closer to the ice. The attack scored a direct hit which was amplified by the cold. I motioned for Iron Tail again and a large strip of ice shattered.

"Keep it up! Make it come to you!"

Sealeo hopped back onto an icy section then slid within a few feet of Aggron. It started pounding its stomach like a drum and Aggron took notice. Fake crying plus taunting started shortly after that and I saw my partner lose his mind. He went to chase it only to fall flat on his back. The water attack easily hit him in his defenseless state.

"Calm down then break the ice!" Aggron almost went on another chase but held it together. Sealeo was surprised that its plan failed and threw itself in the air. "Jump and use Double-Edge!"

With no sturdy foundation, there wasn't enough force behind the attack. Sealeo sent Aggron back to the ice. The maneuver provided my enraged partner a prime opportunity to land a point-blank Iron Head. One hit got Sealeo off, but the attack was used on the ground.

"No! You're hurting yourself!" Sealeo was laboring when it started to open its mouth. My instincts kicked in. "Go Dive Ball!"

Cries came from above as a warning, but it proved useless as Sealeo got sucked in. Aggron took the precious moments of an empty side to refocus. He quickly slapped the ground around him with Iron Tail. Wiggling went from slow to fast until the ball broke. Sealeo shook its head to bring itself back to reality.

"Stubborn little bastard. You'll fit in perfectly on this team," I said in a low voice with a smile. "Double-Edge!"

Aggron got a running start onto the open ice. The rainbow beam from the beginning of the battle came out again only this time it appeared to slow my Pokémon down. Sealeo changed gears to its water attack.

"Pop yourself up with Iron Tail!"

He flew over the attack while still moving forward. Sealeo stood its guard and fired another blast of water. Double-Edge helped Aggron cut through the blast for a hit that sent his target sliding. He looked exhausted when he stood up.

"Nice job! Dive Ball… do your thing!"

The specialty ball just grazed the side of its stomach. Judging by the slow yet steady consistency of shaking, Sealeo was still hoping to break out. A red light flashed in the center before fading away. I had finally caught my water type. It was a little odd since a water source wasn't involved, but I wasn't complaining.

"Okay Aggron, good work. Let me heal you up then you can get some rest. Maybe stay warm too."

A Hyper Potion was enough to heal his physical wounds. He was oddly frustrated despite the win and grunted at the ball across the field before getting called back. Most Pokémon hung their head in silence as I retrieved my new teammate. Waves crashed harder against the outside with each step.

"Your turn to get healed."

It didn't come as a surprise that Sealeo was wary of healing items. Sealeo winced at the feeling of the spray doing its job then moved around to distract itself from the lingering pain. After a few minutes, it was shocked at how quickly strength had been restored. I took out my Pokédex to get a better idea of what I caught.

_Name: Sealeo_

_Hoenn Number/National Number: 183/364_

_Male/Female: Male_

_Ability: Thick Fat_

_Nature: Bold_

_Moves: Aurora Beam, Brine, Body Slam, Swagger._

"Explains why Aggron lost his mind for a bit. Hard to believe Swagger would be used for fun but it looked that way," I mumbled. Sealeo hopped over to extend a fin; I shook it. "Welcome aboard!"

I was nearly drowned out by a powerful stream of water that made its way into the cave. The sudden rush of water had all the Spheals and Sealeos clapping. All of them, including mine, moved to the ground floor below us as the water level quickly rose. Even with the limited lights on the wall, I saw the opening to the rest of the cave was nearly covered.

"Fuck! I forgot about high tide. Altaria, I need some help!"

We flew up looking for a sturdy area that would stay dry. I carefully pulled out my flashlight then spotted a decent place to hang out. It was near the top of the area just out of the skylight's way and was roughly 400 square feet. Six hours would have to pass before the tide would recede. At least Seven's odds of finding me were significantly lower.

"Looks like we have to wait this out then leave in the middle of the night," I said to Altaria. She pointed at the top of the room. "Too small for us to fit through. We're not breaking it open either. It's only going to get colder so you're going back." She gave me a little attitude while the red beam did its job.

Setting up the tent seemed risky, so I went with just my sleeping bag propped up against the wall. If there was any consolation, it was that moonlight poking through the top provided enough light to see most of the area. Aside from Zubats and Golbats, everyone was enjoying the late-night swim. The scene got me to take pictures with my PokéNav.

"I had no idea how beautiful this part of Hoenn could be," I said while flipping through my first album. I looked up and took a deep sigh. "Too bad it took a near-death experience to realize it."

The next few hours consisted of me fading in and out of consciousness as more Pokémon stopped playing. With a gym battle slated for 9 o'clock in the morning, I was cautious about fully committing to sleep. Putting an alarm on vibrate pissed me off even though it was important. Rhythmic thumping and sloshing water close by brought me out of my daze. Sealeo had hopped up quite a distance to see me.

"Did you have fun with everyone?" He nodded. I felt a tad guilty about catching him despite the fact he sought me out. "I figured. Being a leader isn't easy so it's good to take a break. Well… if you can find time. With me, you'll have five other Pokémon to help you out."

He rubbed against my sleeping bag looking for a pat on the head. For living in a place that was hard to find, human interaction was something it was accustomed to. Doing it caused me to shiver; the cold air snuck in as soon as my arm came out. A few minutes later, he fell asleep at my feet. I closed my eyes waiting for the alarm to go off.

Leaving the icy room was a bittersweet experience. I was lucky to have my new teammate join on his terms. Sealeo had wished his fellow Pokémon good luck earlier yet didn't get a formal sendoff. The memory of me not getting one when I started my journey made tears stream down my face. I wiped my eyes as Altaria flew me to the bottom. Puddles covered more surface than solid ground.

"Alright Altaria, we want to be as quiet as possible. Can you carry me to the entrance as quietly as possible?" She responded with a stern nod. "Thank you. Repels should keep wild Pokémon from attacking us."

The lights hanging on the wall were dimmer compared to seeing them for the first time. I eventually had to stop because my eyes couldn't adjust fast enough. Having my flashlight out worked against me because the beam's reach was too far for my situation. Magneton was able to control its electricity output as we flew by Zubats and Golbats looking to battle. Repels kept them at bay or made them turn around in disgust.

Magneton stop producing electricity when we arrived at the room where our battle took place; the hanging lights were bright enough on their own. True to Seven's word, Dusknoir was waiting for me wide awake. However, there were no signs of the man himself. Were they initially chased out by high tide then returned or did they stay in the cave the entire time? Did Seven trust Dusknoir to do the job on its own? Either way, I had a plan.

"Battling is going to cause us a lot of problems. Instead, we're going to use the cave to our advantage. Altaria, use Sing," I whispered. She turned back in confusion. "Oh… right. Give me a second."

No wild Pokémon were in our room, but that was going to change. I took out another Repel and made sure to have a finger on the nozzle. The effect from the earlier ones had to have worn off.

"Plan B is a little more chaotic. Magneton, I need you to use Metal Sound in the tunnel we just came from. It should piss off all the Pokémon we passed on the way and get them in here. Maybe go in yourself to draw them out faster. Our goal is to get Dusknoir caught up in all the commotion then get the fuck out of here. I'll have your ball in my other hand to bring you to safety."

For such a… questionable… plan on paper, Magneton seemed happy to do it. Its typing allowed it to deal with the horde of Pokémon that it would upset while also be an offensive presence against the ghost type. I saw it float away, heard the attack echo even after sticking my fingers in my ears, heard the rush of angry Zubats and Golbats, and saw Dusknoir move from its post to investigate.

The sudden burst of Pokémon in the room created the mass chaos I was looking for. Everyone started attacking with no regard for safety. Electricity was shot out, poison needles were spit all over the place, fangs glowed, Shadow Balls were fired in rapid succession, and Psychic from Dusknoir didn't last long due to the crossfire.

When Seven's Pokémon looked like it was too busy to notice me, I had Altaria fly fast as she could to the exit. Magneton let one final Thunder loose before I called it back. The attack hit everyone in the commotion but most importantly, left the ghost type paralyzed. It couldn't turn around fast enough to notice me. Natural light guided us out of the cave all the way to the Pokémon Center's front door. I practically squeezed the life out of Altaria when she landed.

"Oh Altaria… thank you for everything," I sobbed. She wrapped her wings around me, warming me up faster than the night air."

Her humming got more melodic plus she snuck in a Cotton Guard for more fluff. At the very least, I felt I owed my team the truth about why I was being chased. Aggron was the only teammate who had a connection to Ardos but that wasn't a strong one. I eventually swapped her out for Magneton.

"Good job in there. Nobody on my team could do what you did. I'm proud of you." It happily waved its magnets at the praise. "You have no idea how much you mean to this team. Keep it up. Now, let's get you healed up along with everyone else. We have a gym challenge in less than four hours."

* * *

Every minute of sleep was cherished after my team was healed even if it was in the lobby. I woke up early enough to wash my hands and face plus, put on deodorant, and change clothes. A full shower would have to wait. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to restock on items at the mart. Sealeo was called out just before heading into the gym.

"I'm not sure how much battling time you'll get. That said, you need an upgrade." I took out the light blue TM disc. "This is a move called Frost Breath. It's stronger than Aurora Beam." He was content with the change; I called him back when it was done.

"Welcome to the Mossdeep gym! How may I help you?" the receptionist asked before the doors even closed.

"I'm here for a rematch against Tate and Liza. Ryan's the name."

The screen was shifted to me. "Would you like option one or two?" I still wasn't comfortable with a four on four double battle.

"One, please."

"Very well. There are three trainers and they will appear one at a time in single battles. Should you lose to any of them, you will have to try again another time. The gym battle will take place on field two just like last time. Healing items will be in a backpack provided by the referee; you may only use them after defeating the third trainer. Best of luck."

A dotted path went straight to the leaders while also breaking off to six elevated platforms. Instead of solid ground, it was just a light show. A blue light covered me and brought me to the first platform; the referee followed shortly after with a backpack. The dark setting of the gym nearly made me fall asleep when I tried to focus. As far as I knew, it was just the three of us.

"This will be a one on one battle with standard league rules. Go whenever you guys are ready," the referee said

"Kadabra!" the trainer yelled. Too easy.

"Aggron, let's go!" The flags went up and I was ready to go. "Double-Edge!"

A sigh came from the trainer. "Psychic."

It wasn't a surprise that Kadabra failed to hold Aggron in place for long. He gained enough momentum to pound the psychic type into the ground. Sitting on it after the fact was probably disrespectful, but I didn't want to waste energy telling him to stop.

"Kadabra is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"

We shared a quick handshake before being carried up and to the right to the next platform. Part of me wanted to sweet talk my way to the end because of Aggron. I expected every hit to be a knockout. Then again, I chose option one.

"With this trainer, it will be a two on two battle," the referee said in a way that tried to make the experience more exciting.

"Let's get to it! Kadabra, I choose you!"

I decided to try something different. "Ninetales, you're up!"

She looked confused about why she was chosen. The promise shown back at the house against Absol hadn't sunk into her mind yet. At least she appeared calm with all the stimulation around her. We were given the signal to start.

"Will-O-Wisp!" She flinched at the command before slowly sending the wisps over.

"Easy dodge Kadabra!" The Psi Pokémon sidestepped them all with seemingly no effort. "Kinesis!"

The spoon in its hand seemed to grow bigger then bend forward. Ninetales wobbled around for a bit before shaking her head. I had to close my eyes to reset my vision too.

"Like a piece of silverware is going to do anything! Ninetales, Flamethrower!"

She flinched at my order again. However, the slight delay was made up for in the form of a faster stream of fire. The powerful move ended up being more inaccurate than the previous one; Kadabra didn't have to move.

The gym assistant folded his arms. "Oh, what was that? Now I'll show you how a real attack is supposed to work. Move in and use Psybeam!"

"Keep it at bay with Will-O-Wisp!"

Closing the gap made Ninetales freeze up longer than I wanted. It took Psybeam hitting for her to respond. By then, Kadabra had enough time to dodge plus guide the wisps away using leftover psychic energy. That got her more focused.

"Psychic!" the trainer called out.

"We can play this game too! Extrasensory!"

Ninetales wasted no time forming a ball of rainbow-colored energy in her maw as Kadabra started to make its move. My fire type was lifted off the ground, yet angrily fired the attack directly at the psychic type. The impact knocked it over.

"Follow up with Will-O-Wisp!"

Confidence had overtaken fear as each tiny ball of fire found its mark. Kadabra struggled to find its footing after burn had set in. A glowing light formed around it then around Ninetales; nothing came of it.

"Synchronize doesn't help me here," the trainer sighed. "Psybeam!"

"Hex!"

Her red eyes flashed followed by neon purple wisps smothering Kadabra. A weakened Psybeam allowed my Pokémon to jump out of the way. The residual burn damage was salt in the wound to the fainted psychic type. Heavy panting from her made my next decision a lot easier.

"Kadabra is unable to battle. Ninetales wins!"

Despite the win, there was still work to be done. She still wasn't used to me yelling out orders which was necessary in the heat of battle. Getting hit first to activate her natural self-preservation instincts was incredibly dangerous; she wasn't built like a Wobbuffet. Ninetales mellowed out when Kadabra was recalled.

"Nice! Way to bounce back!" I encouraged.

Ninetales flinched again and slowly turned her head around. My smile stayed but my heart sunk; winning on her own was a concept she apparently hadn't grasped. I got on my knees to call her over. An open palm was waiting. The others were curious about the little show going on.

"Good girl." She licked my hand then motioned for me to rub her mane. "Take a quick break. I might need your help later." My opponent waited until she was back in the ball.

"I pick Medicham!"

Choosing my Pokémon was easy. "Altaria, you're up! Use Fly on the signal!"

Using the advantage of flight metaphorically crippled Medicham. Huge Power as their main ability made them predictable physical attackers. Smart trainers knew how to utilize the special side.

"Use Confusion!"

Dragging Altaria around proved to be a bad move. Medicham spent a lot of energy trying to slam her down only for its control to be broken. Fly allowed my Pokémon to build enough speed to break through a second Confusion while delivering a big hit. The assistant was looking nervous.

"Mind Reader!" To my surprise, Medicham closed its eyes.

"Dragon Pulse!" The blast appeared to break its concentration while bringing it closer to fainting. "Fly!"

My opponent reacted quickly. "High Jump Kick!"

The risky move paid off as Medicham got its hit in before Altaria was too high up. She took it on the border of where the protective cotton met her neck. Getting the wind knocked out of her forced her to take it slow while hovering closer to the ground.

"Hit it again!" Another jump was targeted for the same area. I waited until the right time.

"Move to the side!"

Dodging proved to be the winning play. The hybrid psychic and fighting type overshot the mark, causing it to awkwardly land. It withered on the ground in pain until it fainted. Altaria was in some discomfort after landing; the praise could wait when she came out again.

"Medicham is unable to battle. Altaria wins! That's the match!"

Handshakes were exchanged before moving on to the final assistant. I was carried to a platform on the far-right side near the leader's area. Just like the previous trainer, our battle would be two against two. A small crowd started to filter into the viewing area.

"Well, looks like I'm your last test. Let's get going," the trainer said. "Claydol, you're up!" Not quite trial by fire considering the circumstances, but it was a good test.

"Go Sealeo!"

Going from defending the icy room to battling trainers wasn't too bad of a change. Experiences in Shoal Cave probably molded him into a better battler than I ever could. He radiated confidence as he took his position yet kept his guard up.

"Sealeo versus Claydol. Start!" our referee said.

"Frost Breath!" I confidently ordered despite not seeing the attack in action.

"Extrasensory!"

A concentrated blast of ice shot out of Sealeo's mouth without sucking in too much air; it was like he already knew what to do. Claydol responded like Ninetales did in the previous battle and shot a ball of energy hoping to cut through the ice type attack. The result was a collision in the middle with black smoke covering most of the field.

"Hyper Beam!" I heard from the other side.

"Find it then use Swagger!"

My plan to stall failed as Claydol hovered above the smoke. Its height difference allowed it to scope Sealeo out as the smoke thinned. Two yellow beams came from its arms straight down on my Pokémon and threw him at my feet. For such a powerful attack, Sealeo took it well. It got up as my opponent's Pokémon returned to the ground to recharge.

"Hit it with Frost Breath!" Claydol was defenseless as the icy blast covered it. "Body Slam while it's still down!"

Sealeo had other plans. It used Swagger by rolling around the field on its back slapping its underbelly in a taunting fashion. I rubbed my eyelids out of frustration; it was Magneton all over again. The difference was I had no idea why he did that.

"Don't let it get to you! Use Ancient Power!"

Balls of energy shaped like rocks materialized around the levitating Pokémon's head then were sent across the field. Sealeo thought he could dodge by rolling; not even one missed. A visible aura covered Claydol then faded away.

"Look what you got yourself into," I mumbled. "Brine!"

"Hyper Beam!"

Confusing the opposing Pokémon thankfully worked as it wildly fired the attack. Sealeo took his time to line up for a direct hit. The sure of water seemed to harm Claydol even more before causing it to land on its back. Our referee made the final verdict.

"Claydol is unable to battle. Sealeo wins!"

I let Sealeo bask in the glory of his first win. Having a chat with him about his attitude could wait for another time. The gym assistant still had one more Pokémon left.

"Starmie, here we go!" Horrible matchup on my end.

"Sealeo, return! Magneton, you're up!"

A smile formed on my opponent's face. "Gotcha."

The referee took a little longer to do the cadence. "Magneton versus Starmie. Go!"

"Thunder!" I ordered hoping to end the battle in one hit.

"Reflect Type!"

Large colored rings surrounded both Pokémon before disappearing; it initially distracted Magneton from attacking. My partner then let a bolt of electricity rip which enveloped the opposing Pokémon. It looked like Starmie barely got hurt.

"Go with Tri Attack!" The move appeared to have even less of an effect. "What the hell is going on!?"

A shoulder shrug came from across the field. "Nothing special. Confuse Ray!" Magneton started to sway as the red gem glowed.

"Yeah, I'm not dealing with this shit. Sealeo, you're back in!" The switch was acknowledged. " _Now_ go for Swagger!" Barring a gimmicky physical set, it was a safe move.

Nobody was sure if Starmie was affected by the taunting until it flopped around. Spurts of water flew out in random directions. Its back started to spin faster.

"Try your Confuse Ray!" the trainer nervously said; Starmie threw itself at the ground.

If Tri Attack didn't inflict a lot of damage, then Body Slam wasn't going to be much better. "Use Brine!"

"Counter with your own Brine!"

Starmie couldn't get it together fast enough to even dodge. The attack was surprisingly effective. When it came from the other side of the field, Sealeo looked more agitated than hurt.

"Again!" I called out.

Luckily for me, confusion was still in effect. Starmie continued to throw itself at the ground after getting hit. I exhaled loudly when it finally stopped moving.

"Match over! Please allow me to heal your Pokémon before the leaders," the referee said.

Various healing items were taken out of the referee's backpack. Sealeo reluctantly accepted the spray from a Hyper Potion while everyone else took pleasure in it. I had an idea of who was going to battle, but it didn't hurt to heal my entire team. The large crowd gave me a round of applause when I floated onto the center of field two.

Red field lines plus yellow out of bounds girds appeared in their spots. Tate and Liza approached us looking more serious compared to last time. Part of me wanted their creepy playfulness back. Crowd noise forced us to lean in more.

"This will be a battle for the Mind Badge. It will be a double battle with only two Pokémon per side. Substituting is grounds for forfeiting. Aside from those changes, all previous rules still apply. Any questions?" No response. "Good luck to both sides. Shake hands."

Liza leaned in during the handshake. "We all need to talk after this battle."

What did I do that made them want to talk with me? Did it have to do with what happened in Shoal Cave? Our last battle didn't have any questionable moments worth getting upset over. I let it go as we moved to our trainer boxes.

"Gym leaders Tate and Liza, please select your two Pokémon!" the referee yelled over the crowd.

Tate chose first. "Go Lunatone!"

"Solrock, time for battle!" Liza followed up.

With only two Pokémon to choose from, those had to be their aces. I couldn't think of a scenario where a leader wouldn't use their best Pokémon when their back was against the wall. Choosing two of my own was a little easier.

"Linoone and Aggron, come on out!"

Sealeo was my third choice despite just joining the team. I had no real indication of his strength and him not listening to me wasn't ideal for a gym battle. Aggron's steel typing prevented them from having complete control of the battle. His offensive presence was also greater than Sealeo's. I trusted my gut that he could take a Flamethrower. Linoone was going to have his fun.

"All four Pokémon are set. Begin!"

I went for the bigger threat. "Linoone, use Sand Attack on Solrock! Aggron, Iron Head on Solrock!"

"Doubling up on my Pokémon? I see how it is," Liza huffed. "Hold Aggron back with Psychic!"

"Lunatone, Hypnosis on Linoone!" Tate added.

Linoone sprinted ahead first to find a quality digging spot. Lunatone floated over cut him off but couldn't get him to sleep. Instead of targeting Solrock, he started kicking sand at Lunatone. It backed off when the attack started up. Those two couldn't find a chance to attack with all the moving they did.

Unlike the Kadabra from earlier, Solrock did a better job of holding a charging Aggron in place. However, it was forced to toss him aside after getting fatigued. He got back up to continue charging while Solrock wasn't quite ready for round two. Tate was on it.

"Help Solrock!" Psychic held steady, but it left an opening.

"Rush in then use Sand Attack on Solrock!" I quickly yelled.

With Lunatone dedicated to Aggron and Solrock still tired, Linoone had an enough time to be the annoying normal type I knew. Field chunks came first followed by a mix of dust and dirt. Booing came from the peanut gallery despite Liza's Pokémon ramming him backwards. Aggron ran out of steam just before Lunatone did; he needed to stay still for a bit.

"I'm going to push their psychic powers to their limit," I said.

"You wouldn't be the first," Tate replied. "Calm Mind!"

"Sunny Day!" Liza followed up.

If there was ever a giant red flag, that was one. "Aggron, Rock Slide! Linoone, Sand Attack on Solrock!"

Rock Slide allowed Aggron to get in on the action without having to move. Chunks rained down but seemed to have very little effect on the Meteorite Pokémon. A ball of light made its way above the middle of the field while Lunatone meditated. Linoone sprayed debris on the go as opposed to picking one spot. Solrock started blinking profusely.

"Circle back for Slash! Aggron, Rock Slide again!"

Tate saw how close it was. "Psychic to move it away!"

Instead of pushing him aside, Lunatone chucked Linoone back to my side of the field. Aggron turned into an outfielder and caught his teammate. The landing wasn't as soft, but it was better than the ground which had no give. He set Linoone down then used Rock Slide.

Liza's partner was in a position to counter. "Fire a Solar Beam at Aggron!"

I cringed at the order. Sunny Day allowed the powerful attack to be instantly fired. It shattered the rocks with plenty of power to spare. Aggron had no choice but to throw his arms up and stand his ground while Linoone scampered away. When the blast fizzled out, he was still on his feet albeit panting. I was furious that Sand Attack didn't make it miss.

"You're both full of surprises. I don't want to imagine what another four on four battle would look like," I said. Liza looked a little frustrated after that statement. "Aggron, Iron Head on Solrock! Linoone, you're on standby!"

"Push it back with Solar Beam! Tate!"

He nodded. "You got it. Psychic to slow it down!"

I was confused as to why they let Aggron keep moving forward. Granted, he moved like he was in a swamp. Another Solar Beam was fired his way, but he was unable to put up a defense like the previous one. Lunatone tightened its grip as the beam was fired; Calm Mind gave it the extra power to pull it off.

"Jump in with Shadow Claw!" Linoone happily rushed ahead before forming the claw.

Lunatone opted to let Aggron go in exchange for just being grazed by the super effective attack. Aggron didn't take the full force of the attack thanks to a quick ducking maneuver learned back at the mansion. As far as I was concerned, the result was good.

"So that's why you chose Linoone," Tate noted.

"Yup. I figured you guys would try to stop Aggron from delivering big hits so he's here for support. In your case, he's just annoying. Do you know how sad he was after last battle? Very… because he didn't get a chance to have fun."

Both leaders rolled their eyes. "Oh brother," they said at the same time.

"Well it's true. And we'll continue the fun. Sand Attack on Lunatone! Iron Tail on Solrock!"

"Lunatone, stop Aggron with Hypnosis!"

In what I thought was an insane move, Lunatone got in front of Solrock. The eyes flashed blue and Aggron lost momentum before plopping himself on the ground just short of the duo.

"Solar Beam!" The Meteorite Pokémon blinked its eyes again then fired away.

Despite being at close range, the move missed by a solid ten feet. It carved up the field a little bit and tiny pebbles deflected off Aggron's body. It took a lot of effort for me not to laugh.

"I'll get at least one of your Pokémon!" Liza stated in an annoyed tone. "Solrock, use Rock Slide!"

It spun like a drill then dug into the field. The impact sent large rock chunks all over the place. Linoone did his best to avoid them; he ended up getting hit in the middle of his back. Aggron slept through the onslaught but the rocks harmlessly ricocheted off his armor. I had a realization as the attack ended. Flamethrower was out of the picture.

"Keep digging away, Linoone! We need to protect Aggron!"

The ball of artificial sunlight faded as well. With no threat of a sun boosted Flamethrower, I needed to stall for time until Aggron woke up. Victory was within reach.

Linoone took the guerilla approach. He started far away, created a large dust cloud, then snuck closer, and finished with a close-range attack. Neither Tate nor Liza thought it was smart to actively go after him since he had Shadow Claw.

The other problem was that Psychic was equally useless. Between the new smaller dust clouds and the effect of earlier Sand Attacks, the leader's Pokémon couldn't get a read on Linoone. I saw a blue aura surrounding him at times only to fade followed by annoyed grunts. Sunny Day was used again but provided no help.

Little windows of clear space allowed me to see Tate panicking and Liza aggressively scouting for an opening. It got to a point where a thin layer of dust covered their side of the field. My normal type stopped digging to help Aggron wake up; repeatedly hitting his head did the trick.

"Aggron, Iron Tail! Linoone, Shadow Claw! Take out Solrock!"

"Psychic!" they simultaneously ordered.

As the dust settled, I saw both opposing Pokémon had their eyes closed. Blinking to clear their vision was useless. They couldn't lock on with Psychic and a desperation Solar Beam missed by a mile. Iron Tail sent Solrock a few inches into the ground and Linoone hopped on it to deliver the finishing blow.

"Solrock is unable to battle! Please recall it." Liza did so calmly as the home crowd was split between boing and cheering. "The battle will now continue!"

Tate didn't look like he was going to give in. "Hypnosis!"

Lunatone sucked it up long enough to accurately aim at Aggron. I cursed under my breath as he became drowsy. The distance was too far for him to land an attack. I turned to Linoone.

"Shadow Claw!"

He sprinted as fast as he could then leaped forward to close the gap faster. One swipe had all three claws drag across Lunatone's body. It dropped to the ground while Linoone landed awkwardly. He regained his footing while heavily panting. The flag went up.

"Lunatone is unable to battle! Solrock has been declared unable to battle! This gym battle goes to the challenger!"

I ran out to the other side of the field at the same time Linoone ran to me with the help of adrenaline. He jumped at my chest then held on as tight as he could without hurting me. Hugging him took a lot of the pressure off and he furiously rubbed his head against my chest. I let him go until he slowed down.

"Told you hard work pays off! Outstanding fucking job! Get some well-deserved rest," I whispered to him. I walked over to Aggron who was starting to wake up. "We did it! We earned that badge. Rest up." He smiled as the beam sucked him in. Both leaders walked up to me.

"Congratulations on the win! Just curious, why did you target my Pokémon so often?" Liza asked.

I took a second to plan my answer. "Well, I thought Solrock had Flamethrower like in our previous battle. I didn't want Aggron to get burned. Once you revealed Rock Slide, it hit me that Solrock was still the bigger threat since it had three attacking moves."

Liza digested my breakdown then nodded. "Okay. I see your point. The Solrock I use in regular double battles is different than the one I use in the four on four battles. Good catch on the power dynamic. A lot of trainers tend to split their attacks instead of going for one target. Now, face the crowd for the badge presentation ceremony."

People who were happy for me stayed while those who preferred the leaders to win had presumably left. Microphones were brought out by one of the assistants I defeated along with a case. Tate and Liza stepped in front of me.

"Ryan! You have defeated us in an official gym battle," Liza started.

"In accordance with league rules…" Tate added.

"We present you with the Mind Badge. Congratulations!" they said at the same time.

Cheering and whistling erupted from the crowd as the badge was presented to me. I couldn't help but smile while raising a fist. I turned to them after the euphoria died down.

"Oh. Anyway, what did you guys want to talk to me about?"

"Wait for us in the conference room. Take the stairs down to the hallway you walked down last time and make your way back to the lobby. Arrangements have already been made so don't be afraid to speak up."

When I got to the hallway, I stood in front of the Latias statue in silence with my head up.


	30. Talking Things Over

A whirlwind of emotions built up inside of me the longer I stared at the majestic Latias statue. Pride for overcoming something I had always struggled with in double battles, hope that the win would invigorate my team, anger as usual, but they gave way to something else. Apathy resonated more when I put my badge away with the other five. The satisfaction of winning was diluted as long as Ardos had her.

I took my time getting back to the main lobby. Half of it was to look at the statues while the other half was to rest my eyes. The rough overnight stay in Shoal Cave had finally caught up to me. When I felt alert enough, I walked up to the Alakazam statue. It was the only Pokémon I saw from my former boss, but I knew it was going to be a pain in the ass to deal with.

The receptionist was setting up the next challenger as I walked in the lobby. Based on their conversation, it seemed to be a young girl looking for her first badge. I could help but smile as her parents asked where they could sit to watch. She happily skipped over to a bench to wait for the referee.

"Now that takes me back," I said to the receptionist.

"Most trainers are all business. It's a breath of fresh air and will probably make my week. Anyway, how can I help you?"

"Tate and Liza told me to ask about the conference room." There was a short pause.

"Right! Go left and it's the door at the end of the hallway. Please help yourself to some refreshments."

Winona's setup had a mix of charm and modern gear, but the psychic duo's place had a calming futuristic feel throughout. Their technology looked to be newer as well. My traveling equipment looked severely out of place up against the sleek wall. It wouldn't surprise me if league officials decided to meet in Mossdeep every so often.

I used a laptop located next to the television to search ferry times plus check the local forecast over the next few days. Leaving the city under clear skies was a welcomed piece of news. A long yawn escaped as I walked over to the mini fridge. One bottle of water was enough to hold me over before taking a nap on the floor. The table was my second choice.

Rustling papers woke me up half an hour later. Both leaders were taking care of some league work along with something in other folders. They were so into their work that me standing up made them jump. I was offered a seat across from them along with another bottle of water.

"Were you this tired during our battle?" Tate asked.

I leaned back. "Let's say I have a way of pushing through rough patches."

"Been there, done that. Is the laptop ready Liza?"

"Just have to plug the cable in." She fiddled with it until the screen appeared on the television. "Done. I quickly need to finish finalizing your verification form. You get the badge; the league has a record in case it gets lost or stolen."

Graduation didn't mean I escaped school-like scenarios. It felt a little demoralizing that two leaders just older than Roxanne held all the cards going into our conversation. Nothing I did in our two battles warranted a talk. Liza finished my form with a signature. She took a deep breath before starting.

"Frustration has a terrible effect on the mind. It can cause us to make irrational or rash decisions that can harm ourselves, others, and our Pokémon. It can cause us to hide our true feelings about a problem under the impression that nobody will understand it. Over a long period of time, it can cause us to give up even if a solution exists." Neither of them looked like they were going to continue.

"Okay," I bluntly replied. Liza folded her hands on the table.

"The mental burden of finding a Latias you saw get kidnapped is a lot for one person to handle, is it not?"

I felt the color drain from my body. "How did you know?"

"Winona. She's the head of all Hoenn gym leaders. You told her, so she told us. Well… me first since my sister was out at the time," Tate answered. "We know as much as you do… or did something new come up since your network was formed?"

"Nothing about Latias. If you choose to believe everything, Ardos has three people dedicated to dealing with me. None of them are intentionally searching for me either. We're at a standstill despite them having the upper hand."

"And what exactly does that mean?" Liza asked.

I pulled up the website for Pokémon Services. "While they  _could_  search for me, they still have a business to run. Pretty sure Winona told you the domino effect of me going to the police with next to no proof."

"Did anyone find you?"

"Multiple times. Two people have codenames instead of real names so looking them up is… wait." I opened a tab for Lostelle's site. "Here's one of them."

Seven's performance had slipped a bit in tournaments with prizes starting at 250,000P. He still had blurbs written about him along with his past achievements archived. His body hadn't changed much since then and our fight in Shoal Cave. They scrolled through the older pictures.

"Can't believe they let him use a stage name," Liza huffed. "That doesn't fly at any official gym. He looks familiar. Allow me."

She went to the official Pokémon League website for last year's Hoenn tournament. Every participant was listed along with their placement. Clicking on a name would reveal all Pokémon registered but she didn't need to go that far.

"Brandon is his real name. Funny thing is we lost against him yesterday. I would show you more information except our database is off-limits to the public. All I can say is the league has a lot of data on everyone. That unsportsmanlike conduct from Brawly's gym isn't going anywhere," she added. I rolled my eyes.

"Can you at least tell other leaders to watch out for him?"

Tate folded his arms. "That won't go over so well; his record is clean. No other leader he has faced has seen anything from him to justify that. You might not  _want_  to go to the police based on what you think will happen, but that might be your only option."

Not what I wanted to hear. "Dammit. Now that I know where we all stand, I was wondering if you knew how to deal with the fuckery that comes with psychic Pokémon?" They were visibly displeased with my word choice.

"Like what?"

"Protecting myself would be a good start. Ardos has an Alakazam. I'd rather not have me or my Pokémon tossed around like laundry all the time. What about mind reading or seeing visions?"

Liza threw her hands up. "Woah! Slow down there. Tate can handle the first two better than I can." Her brother leaned in.

"Unfortunately, being a dark type is the only way to avoid being picked up. Controlling heavier Pokémon forces psychic types to work harder. Hitting them or at least breaking their concentration while your Pokémon is in the air can loosen or break the grip. You've demonstrated that during our battle. Alakazam is extremely fragile so it wouldn't take much to get it to stop."

"Interesting."

Dirty battling against Ardos' crew was something I was accustomed to. Catching a dark type and raising it to handle Alakazam's other attacks was going to take time. Aggron was my best option whether I liked it or not.

"So… mind reading in battle. How does that work?" I asked shortly after. "Professor Birch and one of his assistants told me how to deal with it in a casual setting." Tate took the laptop.

"Honestly, the odds of it happening to you are slim to none. The feedback loop requires so much energy and risk that it's not a viable battle strategy. Pokémon can't put equal effort into reading minds and battling at the same time. I have a basic explanation printed out in my folder."

The process of a Pokémon reading an opponent's mind left them unable to defend themselves; any attack would do significantly more damage. Feeding back certain information also varied depending on skill; it could range from a snapshot to extremely detailed. Practicing it sounded exhausting and perfecting it sounded like it took years. Diagrams helped show the progression of each stage. Neither gym leader showed interest in the technique when I asked if they wanted to try.

"Will of Johto's Elite Four is the only person we know of who has done it in the middle of a battle. A Kalos gym leader named Olympia tried the same thing with her Pokémon only to realize she could see vague glimpses of the future instead. The rest of the psychic type leaders and Elite Four members aren't so open with their personal abilities. Liza can tell you about visions."

She pulled up information on the Eon duo via a password protected site. Some things I saw didn't show up in my searches about them months ago.

"Almost every psychic Pokémon can show you the past if you train them correctly. Visions from these two are unique because they can be in real time with a lot of detail. There hasn't been another psychic duo that I've heard of doing that. Data here shows it's usually done in emergencies which are backed up by articles."

Most news reports were along the lines of a person or Pokémon being found after spending time injured in a remote location. It seemed one would hold its position while the other would lure someone to help before speeding away. Witnesses not involved with the direct rescue mentioned a red or blue blur overhead near the scene. Reports were all over the region although the area around Fallarbor town got a lot of attention in recent years.

Some cases involved missing Pokémon being returned to a trainer's house in the dead of night. Berry piles randomly showed up in front of Pokémon Centers where certain medicines were scarce. One story mentioned Latias by name after a crew from a capsized ship mentioned their lifeboat was safely escorted through a storm. Someone admitted they were delirious during the ordeal and saw a flying white Pokémon with red wings. Another one said there was no other explanation for how they came out alive since nobody had a psychic type on board.

"That's nice and all, but what if Latias can't send visions because she has a shock collar on? Can Latios check in on her in real time without her help then report to me?"

"No because Latias can't open the channel on her end," Liza said quietly with her head down. "That collar might cause her too much pain. I can't imagine how strong the shocks are."

"Believe me, Latios made me feel it." There was a period of silence while they processed everything.

"Do you have a plan moving forward?" Tate finally asked.

I let out a big sigh. "Get stronger so I can do something to help when the time comes. For all I know, Ardos is the only person who knows where Latias is. I'm not sure he even trusts his assistants at this point. The police can try arresting and interrogating him but I doubt that will go anywhere."

Brandon's attitude in Shoal Cave changed my perspective on the situation because he genuinely sounded like he had no clue what was going on. Jen may have helped capture Latias, but she may not have seen where Latias was taken. Being on the road for days or weeks at a time promoting the business could've allowed Ardos to move Latias to a new location. Jon may have been Ardos' bodyguard, but I didn't know how close they were. Too many variables were unsolved.

"Part of that plan is to make it to the Hoenn League because that's where trainers from all around the world meet up. The longer I stay in the tournament, the better. I'd like to think there's a lot of down time between matches as time goes on. Someone might know something. Unfortunately, it's a few months away."

There was nothing I could reasonably do except wait. Snooping around the Mauville facility full of injured Pokémon during the day was bound to get me in trouble. Doing it at night and getting caught by police would likely be the end of my efforts.

Both leaders had nothing else to say or show to me. I thanked them for their time as Tate packed his notes up. Liza hung back to make sure the next person using the computer couldn't access the private websites. I was asked to stay by the door for one last thing after gathering my gear.

"My brother may have gotten notified first, but Winona stayed on the phone with me a lot longer. I'm going to let you in on something because I would feel bad about hiding it."

I wasn't sure what to make of that statement. The look in her eyes was serious yet her voice sounded uncertain.

"What's up?"

"Between you and me… Winona cares about you a lot more than you may think." She walked out with her head down. "Please be careful."

Healing everyone at the Pokémon Center didn't give me the peace of mind I thought it would. The machine worked, Nurse Joy assured me no major injuries had occurred to Aggron or Linoone from their intense battle, and nobody was sick from spending the night in Shoal Cave. I couldn't shake the feeling that being at full strength wasn't good enough.

A grassy hill in the northern part of the city away from the hustle and bustle was a good spot for everyone to eat. Specialty food for water types was crammed into my backpack on the way there. I opted to wait on introducing Sealeo until my team was full. Ninetales looked like she gained a few pounds but was still underweight relative to normal standards.

"Today, I would like to formally introduce you to the next addition to our team. Meet Sealeo!"

He came out oozing confidence. It didn't come as a shock that Magneton and Altaria were the first to welcome him to the team. Linoone kept his guard up while talking to the Ball Roll Pokémon. He wasn't overly friendly or overly hostile. He was still trying to feel Sealeo out.

Ninetales went behind me then poked her head out around my legs. She had just gotten over her fear of the rest of my team only to be scared again. Sealeo hopped over causing her to back up; he immediately stopped. The looks he got weren't necessarily dirty, but I assured everyone it was not a problem. He made his way over to Aggron last.

For better or worse, they simply tolerated each other at first. Neither one was willing to show any kind of emotion for a few seconds. Sealeo tried talking only for Aggron to go forehead to forehead with it. The new member didn't back down and even attempted to push back despite the weight difference.

Snarling came from both of them until Aggron snapped. He grabbed Sealeo and attempted to pin him down. The former cave leader slipped out of the grip to slap Aggron in the face with its tail. Small yet quick movements proved to be more annoying than painful. I needed Linoone to help me pull Sealeo away. Magneton surprisingly got Aggron to calm down although he didn't back up.

The spat made Ninetales cover her eyes in fear with a little trembling to boot. Altaria looked on with tired eyes; maybe she saw it coming. Apparently, there was leftover bad blood that I didn't think about. Sealeo's bold nature and Aggron's adamant nature didn't help things either.

"Alright, that's enough! Knock it off!" I yelled after finally getting distance between the two. They turned away at the same time. "We're all in this together."

I couldn't find it in my heart to tell them the real meaning behind that phrase. They weren't strong enough to deal with Ardos and crew in a legitimate fight; telling them that might've broken their hearts. Either the truth had to come out eventually or I had to form an elaborate lie. Winning badges was a cakewalk compared to fending off people with clearly stronger Pokémon who wanted me dead. As far as they were concerned, someone attacked me in an isolated incident.

"Only two badges left until we can participate in the Hoenn League. I want a quick talk with some of you about your performance one at a time. Aggron, you're up first."

Calling everyone back allowed them to get some extra rest. He wasn't entirely sure about why he needed critique. I rubbed the softer area on his back to loosen him up.

"Tired of being tossed around yet? I know it's no fun dealing with that bullshit." He grunted in frustration. "You're my best Pokémon to handle psychic types though. They're glass cannons that can be smashed into pieces the moment you hit them. Not even one out there can hold you down for long. Way to hang in there. Return."

Claydol was the only one I knew that had a realistic shot of beating Aggron. The Eon Pokémon would give him a tough battle in any setting but probably wouldn't win in a match involving a referee. Ardos' Alakazam couldn't hold a candle to them.

"Okay Sealeo, get out here," I sighed. He hadn't quite cooled off from earlier. "You don't have to fight your teammates for supremacy; this isn't the wild. Save that energy for battles against other Pokémon. I can assure you there are stronger opponents out there to test your strength."

He looked at the sky reflecting on what the future held. Going from top of the pyramid to working with a team was something he had to deal with. I rubbed his head as he turned back to me.

"You have to be careful about showboating too. Linoone realized that it's important to pick and choose when to be an asshole. Swagger can backfire and cause problems for the rest of the team if the other Pokémon can control their temper. Not every situation requires you to taunt or mock the opponent. Take it from a guy who has done a fair amount of trash talking. Rest up."

Altaria didn't need a talking to because she had always been a team player. Battling with her felt effortless plus her willingness to fly me around Hoenn was always met with praise. She was down for pretty much anything. Being cooped up in the mansion doing nothing exciting before I got her played a big role in that.

Linoone was aware of how amazing his performance was against the Mossdeep gym. Shadow Claw was a toy he didn't want taken away. One thing I noticed during the battle was how he knew when to tone down the mischievous attitude. Sand Attack had always been his bread and butter, but he was willing to set up in strategic positions as opposed to simply being annoying.

Magneton wasn't as excited when it came out of the ball. An argument between teammates wasn't enough for it to get so down. The more I thought about it, the more I kicked myself. Last time the behavior happened was after helping me through Rusturf Tunnel. I dug out a bottle of metallic polish buried in a side pocket plus the accompanying towel.

"Let's bring back some of that shine." It floated patiently as I cleaned off some grime. "I'm sorry it was a rough go for you in there. Solrock with a surprise Flamethrower in the first gym battle and a Reflect Type Starmie the second time. If I knew Solrock wasn't packing Flamethrower the second time, I would've used a different plan."

The soft buzzing held steady when I finished. Juggling my team's battling time was going to be harder than ever with a full roster. Magneton felt like my least-used Pokémon out of the original four I started my journey with. However, the future was looking bright.

"Next up is the Sootopolis City gym. It's filled to the brim with water types which means you'll be my ace. You're going to have one hell of a field day."

It didn't perk up at the thought of having an entire gym to wreak havoc in. Using it in battles before then might provide a confidence boost. Magneton was essentially my offense with Linoone or Sealeo providing support as needed. Ninetales and Aggron could realistically lose after one attack; Altaria could be clipped by an ice move. I swapped Magneton for Ninetales to finish.

Body language after materialization wasn't as good as I thought. If there was anywhere to hide, she would probably do it. An open grassy hill overlooking the city left her a bit nervous, so she sat in my lap. I made sure she was looking at me when I started to pet her back.

"It's okay. Sometimes things get a little heated," I whispered. I waited a few minutes for the shaking to stop. "Remember what I said about working on things at your own pace. How did you like battling? Are you comfortable with it?"

Ninetales looked like she wasn't sure how to respond. The progression from delayed reactions to fluent movements told me what I needed to know but I wanted her opinion. Any trainer knew that letting an opponent get a free hit in had to have a worthy payoff. Eventually Ninetales barked with a smile.

"You did a good job today! I was worried about the start though." She rubbed her head in my chest then looked up with worried eyes. "Please understand that me yelling at you in a battle isn't out of anger. It's to help protect you. The last thing I want is for you to be a punching bag out there."

We sat in silence taking in the sun plus a gentle breeze. The urge to leave the city hit me hard when I saw a ferry pulling into the southwest docks. I didn't want to recall Ninetales as she started to fall asleep, but my best chance to leave was in front of me. Riding Altaria all the way to Sootopolis in my state of mind was too risky.

A large crowd of disembarking passengers and a few welcoming committees were milling around by the time I got there. I was forced to wait on a bench by the ticket window after hearing staff had to clean up. My fatigue grew so I ended up walking around and eating a few cereal bars. When I saw people boarding, Brandon was in line looking relaxed. I made damn sure he was the boat before carefully slipping back into the city to find a cheap, one floor motel.

"Can I have a room for one night please?"

"Of course. All we ask is that Pokémon stay inside their balls."

"No problem. Is there a place to wash my clothes?" I asked hoping to use their washer and dryer. The clerk looked confused.

"Laundromat's a few blocks away. Open all the time too."

I was given a somewhat worn key and recoiled at the concentrated smell of bleach in the hallway. The doorknob to my room was so loose that I was afraid to touch it. Kicking the door open might have been a better option.

The room was almost like I envisioned it. Small space to move around, small television, wobbly nightstand, loose chain lock on the side of the door, an outside view of the parking lot surrounded by other buildings, spotty internet connection, and worn-out mattresses. All the negatives were excusable since I had more privacy than any Pokémon Center. What I was not expecting was how clean everything appeared to be. I wasn't relaxing until I took a shower.

"You get what you pay for but holy shit. Rebecca would love to hear about this," I said while rolling my eyes. The shower head was at chest level; it wasn't adjustable. "At least the water's hot."

I quickly cleaned up then let the water wash over me for a solid fifteen minutes. My eyes grew heavier when the water turned lukewarm; I ended up brushing my teeth in the shower. Throwing on a clean pair of boxers took the last bit of energy I had. Hitting the clean pillow felt amazing.

Letting my guard down plus the lack of planned events made sleeping easier. Waking up was a result of the room getting hot; sleepwalking over to the thermostat wasn't enough to keep me up. The alarm clock read 10:31pm when I finally came around for a second time. My PokéNav's light was blinking to signal a message sent around dinner time.

_Hey Ryan, give me a call when you get the chance. Nothing too special. Mom._

"Wonder if she's still up." I was surprised when the phone clicked on the other end. "Mom?"

"Ryan! Sweetie! How are you doing?"

"Keeping busy. I'm in Mossdeep City right now. Got my badge earlier today."

Clapping echoed in the background. "Congratulations! How many do you have now?"

"Six. Did you get my note from when I was in Fortree? I wanted to try something different."

"I did! Thank you so much! Pelipper likes Aerial Ace a lot. Your father's Torkoal is having a little accuracy trouble with Overheat. He's been working on fixing that."

Dad could absorb the risks of the fire TM better than I could. Torkoal had other options whereas Ninetales only had special attacks. He could have backup within minutes plus all his battles had relatively low stakes.

"Figured as much." I took a long pause before continuing. "How's work at Rydel's?"

Mom wasn't the type of person to dwell on the negative aspects of the past for too long. The assistant manager position would've given her a huge financial and moral boost. I had hoped Rydel understood why she needed a few days off so she could get back on track.

"Pretty steady. I'm still the top sales associate." We got on the topic of customer service for a bit before she got serious. "Are you away from other people right now?"

My heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong?" She let out a small sigh.

"Wattson being in the hospital has been the news around here for a while but we don't know what for. The Pokémon League now owns all of New Mauville and rumor is that they're trying to sell it. Not sure who it is though."

"Come on! He loves that place! You really think he's just going to give up his cut?"

"Unfortunately, it sounds like it. Rydel has been visiting him often and told me in private that Wattson's not sure if he'll have the energy to continue caring for it once he gets out. Those two go way back."

Roxanne breaking the news to me when I was in Rustboro was devastating. Mom just poured salt in the wound. New Mauville was the place to go when I wanted to get away from everything for a few hours. It didn't matter if it was underground battling or simply enjoying the island. Part of my childhood felt taken from me even though nothing was confirmed.

"Wonder if he'll be at the gym when I return."

"Honestly, I don't kn… wait. You didn't challenge him for you first badge?" she said with a lot of confusion in her voice.

Explaining my reasoning could wait for another day. "I'm waiting for the right time."

"Right… anyway, that's what I wanted to talk about. Anything else for me?"

Just like with my team, I couldn't find it in my heart to tell them about Pokémon Services. The less my parents knew, the better. Another wave of sleepiness came over me when I thought about more mundane topics.

"Nope!" I cheerfully replied.

"Alrighty! Call if you need anything."

"Love you, mom."

"Love you too honey! Talk to you soon." I waited for her to hang up first.

I sat on the edge of the bed hunched over staring at my PokéNav. Rumors of an ownership change were nowhere to be found online. Ardos' business was still doing well based on reviews plus Jen's public relations skills. I was too tired to be frustrated at anything.

The sweet embrace of soft sheets covering me while lying on my stomach quickly lulled me to sleep.

 


	31. Danger on the Water

Eleven hours of deep sleep was the reset my body needed. No dreams, no nightmares, just a feeling of complete stillness until my body decided it was time to wake up. I gathered my things and checked out as quickly as possible.

Cleaning all my clothes plus my sleeping bag took a solid hour and a half. The thought of walking around in the heat with them in bags instead of using the dryer crossed my mind for a second. Brandon leaving the city yesterday alleviated some of my stress. A trip to the mart was my last mandatory stop to stock up on food for myself. I also needed an important item that could save me trouble in the future.

"Sealeo, come on out." He looked around the building in awe. "How would you like another new move?"

His response was like Linoone's when I pitched Shadow Claw to him. Frost Breath had already replaced a long time move in Aurora Beam. It was a lot for any Pokémon to have the moves they grew up with be forgotten in a flash. However, my plan to talk him into it was the same.

"You'll be able to make tougher opponents feel helpless. It'll be a really strong attack too." Fast nodding was his response. "Let's go to the counter."

The cashier couldn't help but smile as Sealeo stared at all the things crammed in on both side of the checkout line. He grabbed a candy bar with his teeth then threw it up to balance on his nose while I had my items rung up. One extra line was added to my receipt for his entertainment; he punctured the wrapper.

"Find everything okay today?"

"Yup. I also want to use the HM disc for Surf on Sealeo. I know the league's rules."

A special key was taken out to open a cabinet behind the counter. The shining dark blue disc distracted Sealeo so much that he dropped the candy bar while staring at it. I took out my Pokédex to start the process. When it came to choose a move to forget, I wanted to see what my Pokémon thought.

"Do you want Swagger to be replaced?" I innocently asked.

My hatred for that move was rivaled by how much Sealeo loved it. He furiously shook his head in disagreement. An awkward stare down followed until I cracked first. Making him upset only a few days after catching him wasn't something I was prepared to deal with.

"How about Body Slam?" He thought about it for a minute before giving me the green light.

Frost Breath could punish anyone who tried to raise their special defense plus it was a good move on its own merit. If things went south with Ardos' crew, attacking any trainer directly could save my ass. Brine appeared to be more helpful than Body Slam since it could be used from a distance in addition to being a water type attack. I could fish for paralysis with Altaria and Magneton if I was desperate. The process was complete when my Pokédex updated.

_Moves: Frost Breath, Brine, Surf, Swagger._

That combination could make quick work of a lot of Pokémon, especially special attackers. Defeating other water types with Sealeo was going to come down to luck with Swagger. I left for the docks feeling relieved knowing I could cross smaller bodies of water if Altaria wasn't up to flying.

"One ticket to Sootopolis City," I said.

"Are you a registered trainer?" the worker replied.

I handed over my Pokédex. "Yes."

"It's a direct route. That'll be 1,500P."

Ferries like the one from Mauville to route 118 were free while others like from Mauville to New Mauville cost money. The price for just a one-way ticket was the most expensive by far. In fairness, travelling to and from Sootopolis took a lot of resources. The league would be dumb to let people travel that far for free. I begrudgingly paid for the ticket.

"Any idea how long it would take to get there?" I asked seeing the clock was approaching quarter to two.

"Usually around five hours."

The response was a pleasant surprise. I assumed it would've been at least a day or two considering the city was even more isolated than Mossdeep. Flying there on Altaria would've been faster but that wasn't potentially worth what Winona went through a few years back. The white and red ferry was ready to board about half an hour later.

It had two levels, the lower one completely covered with windows and the top level had seats plus room to walk around. The middle-aged captain stood at the bottom of the ramp greeting everyone despite some not acknowledging her. I found myself looking around trying to spot more details.

"This is my first time riding a boat this big. How big is it?" I asked.

"Welcome aboard! My vessel is about 95 feet long and holds 200 passengers plus the crew. She's been kind to me for over 25 years."

I held back a smile. "That reminds me of a guy named Vinny back in Mauville except I don't know how long he's been a captain. Do you know him by chance?"

Her interest had been piqued. "Stern's crew, right?"

"On-call as opposed to full time, but he still goes out every so often."

"Right! Don't personally know him but I heard he was working the Mauville to New Mauville route. Must be an interesting gig being near the city."

"Yup. He overhears the weirdest conversations." I looked like I was ready to board, so she wrapped it up.

"There's always something going on in Mauville. Anyway, thank you for choosing us! Enjoy the ride!"

I aimlessly explored the rest of my surroundings after boarding. Indoor seating was more comfortable than I imagined. The set up was like a movie theater except the bow view was mostly obstructed by the cabin. Two-person tables lined each side with large windows to look out of. Every seat was the size of a folding chair but was padded. Overall, there were 100 seats with enough standing room to fit everyone else as needed.

Concession stands were near the stern and had a decent variety. One was dedicated to snacks like popcorn while the other had things that could be considered meals like sandwiches. A small bathroom near the back was a nice touch as well. Wireless internet access, albeit weak, completed the amenities for a long trip.

My ticket didn't have any specific seat on it, so I took a spot on the top deck where the other 100 seats were. A little heat was a small price to pay for being able to sprawl my body and my things across a row of seats. Nobody wanted to sit up top except a family of four. Two boys around nine years old ran around the deck waiting for the anchor to be raised.

Crew members took their positions as the ramp folded. Their clothing was less formal compared to what every other captain and crew wore on the smaller routes. Instead of collared shirts and khakis, they wore bright yellow athletic shirts with a tiny logo plus matching shorts. It was oddly comforting seeing them looking like regular passengers.

"Hello everyone, this is your captain speaking! I'd like to thank you for choosing the ferry system for your transportation needs. Today's weather may look good now, but rain is expected around the halfway point of the voyage. Choppy waters are expected as well. Attendance for today is 120 so there's room to move around. Please pay attention to the safety demonstration before we head out. Enjoy!"

Crew members did their safety spiel without missing a beat. Lifejackets were distributed to all passengers for a demonstration then had the option to return them. They were stored in large chests located on the bow side to allow easy access. It didn't come as a surprise that no Pokémon were allowed outside their balls. Everything else boiled down to being careful or alerting the crew if there was something wrong.

The water on route 127 was oddly choppy despite the fair weather. Waves crashed against the hull and forced the boat slightly into the air every so often. I killed about an hour watching more of Lucas' Pokéathlon events from last year. His first step when it was his turn to go in the relay never ceased to amaze me; it was scary how good he was as a rookie. My stomach started to rumble after finishing a video. Nobody was at the concessions when I walked down.

"Can I get a number two combo please? Three cheese panini for the sandwich, a cup of vegetable soup, and bottled water for the drink."

"Sure thing."

"Oh! Could I get separate side of fries too? Sorry… I'm really hungry."

"Not a problem." The rising steam prevented me from immediately downing it all.

Wind speed had picked up a little when I went back to my seat. Thin dark clouds were on the horizon as I savored every bite. The food may have been subpar to others, but I saw it as a homecooked meal. Any hot food was preferable to the numerous cereal bars I had on me. Cooking on the road wasn't ideal due to the lack of space I had in my backpack.

The fries were still hot even though I saved them for last. For being cooked in an oven, they tasted pretty good. A flock of six Wingull also took notice and roosted on the railing to my right. Squawking echoed through the air every time I reached in the basket. The crew member sitting by the stairs slowly shook their head. I had no intention of acknowledging them until one was brave enough to fly on the seat next to me.

"Don't you do it," I said while pointing at it. Wingull innocently titled its head then hopped an inch closer. "Don't you fucking do it. These are mine."

Someone gently tapped my shoulder; the flying type flew back to the railing when I jumped. It was the mother of the two boys. They were nearby looking over the opposite railing at the various water Pokémon passing by.

"Was swearing really necessary? My boys don't need to hear that language."

I stepped back. "Oh please, they'll hear it at some point. It's not like I blurted it out either." She rolled her eyes.

"Could you please not do it next time?"

"No promises." Her expression changed from pleading to annoyed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish eating before Wingull can think about taking my fries. They taste  _that_  good."

For my sanity and presumably hers, I moved a few rows back. Eating the rest of my lunch gave me a satisfying full feeling. I laid out on my stomach across a row of chairs to sleep it off. Unfortunately, napping until the end of the trip wasn't an option.

"Attention passengers, heavy rain is approaching along with some slightly stronger winds. Please make your way inside the main area on the first level," the captain calmly said over the loudspeaker.

The clouds started gray overhead only to get progressively darker to the south. It didn't come as a surprise that I had nowhere to sit. I hung out near the bow leaning against a window. There was still room to move around but my backpack ensured a bit more personal space.

"At least the rain showed up an hour late. From what I saw, it'll be a passing shower," I overheard one crew member say to another.

"Only two hours left until we get to Sootopolis anyway. You want to be lookout for port or starboard?" the other asked while putting on a raincoat.

"Port I guess. It doesn't really matter seeing as Magikarp can flop on from anywhere."

Rain came down in droves within the next ten minutes. Larger waves plus stronger winds forced the concession stand to shut down; some people gripped the side of their seats to avoid bouncing. I opted to sit down since I had a hard time keeping my balance. Lifejackets were offered even though I thought capsizing seemed unlikely.

Our captain did a good job of navigating the rougher environment as time went on. Crew members had set up outside the doors to watch out for any obstacles. One used their Swellow to keep any Pokémon from staying on the deck for too long. The burst finally subsided after about twenty minutes with calmer weather ahead.

"Cloudy skies are expected from this point forward with an occasional drizzle. Please be advised the waters may be choppier than usual for the rest of the way. You are now free to move about. Thank you for your patience!" the captain relayed over the intercom. Music to my ears.

The first thing I noticed was how slippery the top deck was. I took some napkins up to my seat in a half-hearted attempt to dry it off. The only other person up top was a staff member who wiped most of the water away with their raincoat. Surprisingly, the family of four came back up. Both kids had a basket of fries.

With less than two hours to go, I closed my eyes hoping for a nap. Another flock of Wingull squawked overhead before landing on the railing. I had a big grin seeing two hop over by the kids. One of the boys tossed a fry so it would go away. As the staff member walked over to scold him, the rest of the flock swarmed.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him running around the deck covering his fries. His brother was laughing harder than me as their dad gave chase. More fries were tossed but it wasn't enough to keep the annoying birds away. The vibe changed when the boy took a sharp turn near the railing.

He slipped on the deck, fell overboard, and slammed his head on the edge of the boat before landing in the water. A dull ring on the metal echoed for longer than anyone wanted to hear. His mother shrieked as loud as she could; the father yelled down to see if his son was conscious. The Wingull followed him to snag the fries scattered near the seemingly lifeless body. A nasty gash was bleeding profusely into the choppy waters. The only consolation was that he landed face up. Anyone outside on the first level was screaming for help. It all happened within seconds.

"Code dark blue on port. Code dark blue on port. Adolescent. Over," the staffer urgently relayed into their walkie talkie.

"Roger that. Protocol engaged. Over," came from what I thought was the captain.

The engine was immediately killed as the crew prepared for a rescue. I saw a blue object on the water's surface coming in hot from the north. Yellow shortly followed then the red eyes came next before going mostly under again; a Sharpedo looking for a meal. Something just clicked in my head.

"Sealeo, go get that kid! Bring him to where people can him on board!" I ordered. He threw himself over the edge away from the boy.

"Sir, we have the situation under control," the crewmate said with a hint of frustration.

"Really? There's a Sharpedo in the distance. How many of you have a Pokémon ready to battle?"

A beam of light from below yielded a Lombre. It was given a life preserver then dove in. Attacking Sealeo made sense because it was going to the boy, but it was called off by the staffer next to me. Instead, the hybrid water and grass type accelerated to keep the unconscious kid afloat. Everyone that could grab a spot helped pull the line in. Sharpedo had significantly closed the gap. Other Pokémon near the surface moved aside as it came through.

"Change of plans! Fall back!" Running away wasn't in Sealeo's nature. He pointed at the incoming threat asking for a fight. "You might not be able to hear me out there! Send it packing!" I yelled.

He didn't match up well against Sharpedo, but I was confident in my newest teammate. Commanding respect among a large group of Pokémon wasn't something to be taken lightly. Backup could come from the boat if need be. Stalling for time was the main goal; winning was a cheery on top. Some employees jumped in to help stabilize the kid on a spine board.

Both Pokémon were in an awkward spot physically. They were a safe distance away from the boat yet still could be seen. Wind speed picked up as they started to duke it out which was reminiscent of my battle on Winona's outdoor field. I wasn't comfortable getting near the battle on Altaria's back after factoring everything in.

Sealeo wasted no time going at his opponent. His flippers generated a decent Surf attack that pushed Sharpedo back a good distance. Frost Breath forced the Brutal Pokémon to retreat even more. Those who weren't focused on the rescue effort were paying attention to the scrum. Despite Sharpedo outclassing Sealeo in raw power and speed, it was all useless.

"Keep it at bay! It's got no ranged attacks!" I yelled over the swirling winds.

Frustration mounted as Sharpedo couldn't get close enough to attack with its jaws let alone pass. Unfortunately, Sealeo couldn't get close to land a solid hit. It got to a point where they sat idle. The boy had just become secured and was being lifted onto the deck. A dozen Tentacool slowly surfaced after a loud roar.

"Altaria, I need some support!" She came out ready to go. "Fly over to where the Tentacool are and use Dragon Breath and Dragon Pulse. Your job is to keep them from reaching this boat, period."

The employee next to me got on their walkie talkie again. "Extra Pokémon looking ready to approach. Requesting permission to attack. Over."

"Permission granted to all available employees. We almost have the passenger back on board. I'm bringing out the first aid kit. Over," the captain quickly responded.

More support came in the form of Azumarill, Swellow, Wailmer, Corphish, Barboach, and Whiscash. They immediately sped off to the makeshift battle area to help. Sealeo couldn't stop all the Tentacool from advancing but made sure Sharpedo stayed behind.

My partner's plan didn't change after the mutual intermission. However, Sharpedo found a workaround. It dove deep as the second Surf attack formed then popped back up. Brine caught it off guard but Sealeo got too excited and fired a haphazard Frost Breath; it missed by a mile. Sharpedo chose to go after Sealeo instead of the boat despite having a clear path. I ran down to the first level with my gear and found the closest area facing the battle to stand on. A few people stood behind looking on.

Crunch landed cleanly and Frost Breath was the only thing that got Sharpedo to back off. The opportunity for rushing the boat was even more tempting yet it seemed too focused on Sealeo. Whether or not my teammate knew how much of a distraction he was, I saw the taunting from Swagger start. In a trainer battle, I would've been furious but the confusion from anger played to our advantage.

Cheering erupted from the other side as the boy was gently placed on the wet deck. Our group of Pokémon pushed every Tentacool back. Altaria and Swellow stayed low to discourage any other wild Pokémon from jumping in. Poison Sting was the move to watch out for since a few stray needles landed near the hull. Sharpedo swam around in a blind rage destroying some rocks sticking above the surface.

"Wait a second!" I yelled, hoping he could hear me over the wind.

Brine came out only to have little effect; it snapped out of confusion with the hit. Sharpedo zoomed in on Sealeo bearing purple teeth. One hard bite had him face down in the water. I never reached for a ball so quickly.

"Return!" The red beam somehow reached him.

With nobody left standing in its way, Sharpedo continued to advance. It wasn't as fast compared to earlier, but the attack boost made it deadlier. Nobody else on my team needed to fight it with my backup plan.

"Dive Ball, go!"

I chucked the thing as hard as I possibly could. Sharpedo was moving so fast that it ran directly into the ball. A red light covered it before getting sucked in; the ball floated among the waves. Despite the battle, it broke out only a few seconds later. The speed picked up even more.

"Come on! You're mine!" I threw another Dive Ball and it fell well short; it simply went around it when it caught up. "Making me work here. Magneton, I choose you!" A hand came down hard my shoulder after hearing a few gasps.

"I know what you're thinking… and that's a bad idea." It was the captain holding a bag of Pokémon food. "Gyarados, it's past that point. You know what to do," she calmly ordered after calling it out over the railing.

The few Tentacool were still conscious fled as Gyarados approached. It methodically moved through the waves like they were tiny ripples. Sharpedo paused at the sound of Gyarados' roar then continued on. Seven Pokémon were in its way and it didn't even reconsider charging. I couldn't tell if it was a pride thing, ignorance, cockiness, instincts, or something else. One Hyper Beam was all it took to finish the job.

"Take care of your Pokémon first. Meet me in the wheelhouse after. We need to get going." There wasn't a shred of emotion behind those words.

Magneton went back first followed by Altaria. Sealeo was barely conscious when I went to treat him. He had cuts all over his body with a fever to boot. Purple droplets were near where he took the attack that put him out of commission.

"One Full Restore should do the trick."

Using the entire bottle stabilized his condition almost immediately. He stayed on his back looking up at the gray sky. Defeat was written all over his face; I wondered how long it had been since he lost against another wild Pokémon.

"You alright?" I softly asked. He got up only to look away in shame. "Hey now, don't be so hard on yourself. You can't win every battle." Patting him on the head or any other form of affection didn't seem like it was going anywhere but I kept going until he let himself back in the ball.

The wheelhouse was roomier than I expected. Aside from the controls and monitors, there were a few spare seats plus a lot of space to walk around. A small room was off to the side where the boy was being treated for his injuries. Groaning started to come out along with some movement in his hands. Staffers closed the door to work on him more.

"So… is he going to be okay?" I asked. The captain stayed focused on the water.

"Diagnosing something like that isn't my job. Sending out Pokémon to battle wild ones on this ferry isn't yours either," she bluntly replied.

"Only because a Sharpedo was coming. None of your staff noticed until I called out Sealeo." I tried my hardest to sound respectful. She had someone else take over so she could sit next to me.

"There are a few reasons why Pokémon aren't allowed to roam around here. I'll just focus on two points. First, our staff are the highest quality commercial maritime employees in Hoenn. They have completed training programs designed to deal with wild Pokémon. I don't care if Steven Stone himself is a passenger. Having a trainer jump in makes things worse. Second, we have a limited amount of medical supplies on board."

I took out my badge case. "You're telling me that these six badges mean nothing? What if your Pokémon aren't strong enough?" That got her pissed.

"Clearly your Sealeo wasn't. If you have six badges, then you should realize how dangerous electricity is out here! Think about what would've happened if you used an electric attack!" She was right, but I wasn't going to back down.

"Magneton has other moves!"

"That doesn't matter! Its presence only added to the panic!" I couldn't think of anything to say. "We have just under an hour and a half before reaching Sootopolis. Despite having an Altaria, it would be in your best interest to stay in that seat until we dock."

I reluctantly stayed put for the rest of the ride. The boy's family eventually sat outside his door for the rest of the trip. Gyarados acted as our security guard until reaching the boat entrance on the south side. It was carved into the base of the city's rock wall; there wasn't much room to maneuver. Diving up from a certain point around route 126 or flying were the only other ways in.

Houses upon houses were stacked around the island with the sun low on the horizon. The gym was sitting in the center on its own plot of land. Water was calm enough that swimming across from one side to the other was possible if the rowboat taxi was late. Despite being extremely isolated, Sootopolis looked like an amazing place to live with gorgeous scenery.

As soon as we docked by the Pokémon Center, paramedics rushed on board. Seeing the controlled chaos made my face turn red; I wasn't comfortable. Everyone kept their composure as the boy was wheeled out on a stretcher. I had to stay behind while the captain waited at the end of the ramp to thank passengers. The sight of two police officers walking through the door after ten minutes made me sweat.

"We got a report of a trainer sending out a Pokémon on this vessel. From what we were told, you're that person."

There was no point in talking to them. Denying it would put me in more trouble but arguing with them would result in more questions. Sitting with a blank stare was my best option.

"Nothing to say? Look, we can do this all day if we have to." I didn't bite. "Waiting it is."

The three of us remained silent. I tapped a rhythm on my knees to make the situation less awkward. One officer left without even a signal to the other one. Fifteen minutes passed until the captain came back on board in front of the officer. Judging by her face, she was less than pleased that we were still there.

"Let's go to the tape," the captain sighed.

Painter's tape on the side of a monitor indicated the security camera feed. My poker face didn't crack as the incident was replayed from the start. There was no doubt I was Sealeo's trainer. An officer scribbled on two different pieces of paper; I was given one.

"Citation for calling out a Pokémon against a captain's orders on a league-owned vessel. You have seven days to pay the fine or submit appeal to the league offices in Ever Grande City," an officer said in a monotonous tone. "We already talked to the captain about the incident. Next time let the crew deal with it. You're free to go."

I let out an audible sigh of relief when I got off the ferry. A few stares came from confused locals when I plopped against a wall. Unfortunately, the feeling was short-lived. Comments about me supposedly not cooperating left a bad taste in my mouth. The only thing that mattered was the number in the middle of the page: 15,000P.

Between the time it would take to travel to Ever Grande City, the stress, and cost, I figured it was easier to cut a check. Money wasn't an issue; 15,000P was essentially a drop in the bucket. I could make some of it back by battling.

"Damn… glad to know helping out costs a lot. Wonder if I'll get a discount on any future fines," I mumbled on the way to the Pokémon Center.

The place was filled with passengers checking in on loved ones or planning their next move. A few hung around the door leading to the infirmary hoping to hear about the boy. Doctors made frequent trips between the front and back of the center. I heard the sound of his head hitting the side of the ship in my mind again then shuddered. Nurse Joy was standing at the front desk looking a little anxious.

"Welcome. How may I help you?"

"Can my team get a quick heal? Also, I'd like to schedule a gym battle against Wallace."

A doctor threw the back door open, ran next to her, furiously typed something into the computer, then left without a word. She seemed to go pale at the sight of what was typed in.

"R-right. Sure thing. Have you challenged Wallace before?"

"Nope." She handed me three pages stapled together as opposed to just one.

"Please read it thoroughly. Have a seat over there and I'll see where there's an open spot afterwards. May I see your Pokémon?"

Wallace was unique because he had placed in and even won some high-level contests over the years. Knowledge accumulated from dealing with so many opponents plus a team ready to battle someone with six badges was a deadly combination. Battling him right away was almost like a trap. However, a challenger had to solve three puzzles first. Failure on any one meant battling his gym assistants. I found it interesting that one could choose to go after the trainers first. There wasn't an explanation as to what the puzzles were. The last page was about the money situation.

Defeating assistants before trying the puzzle would yield a 1.5 payout and losing a battle would only result in me paying out three-quarters of a predetermined amount. Battling because of failing a puzzle would swap the numbers around. A third option was a normal payout on both sides regardless of the path I chose; it was the only option for Wallace himself. I never remembered getting any money from the other six gyms. Hell, the leaders I lost to on my first attempt didn't ask me for money either.

I opted for battling before the puzzle because the money incentive was too good to pass up. Vivian and Kirk were the only two assistants that beat me, but that was nearly a year ago. It also happened when I was an assistant myself. Nurse Joy got a look from a doctor poking their head out from the back door.

"Your battle is tomorrow afternoon at 1:15. We're out of rooms so… sorry about that. You can still freshen up in our bathroom," she whispered before running through the double doors.

Finding a spot to set up camp for the night was a pain in the ass. I ended up pitching my tent on the side of the Pokémon Center since there wasn't much sunlight left. Fatigue hit me hard when I climbed in my sleeping bag.

* * *

Nature gave me a huge middle finger in the form of a bright sunny morning. I felt like someone had hit me over the head with a brick. Going back to sleep for another hour made things slightly better, but I still needed to plan.

Everyone was eager to roam around on the tiny plot of grass for a few hours. Lunch had slightly bigger portions considering I forgot to give them dinner. Sealeo appeared to have moved on from his loss to Sharpedo as he ate. Aggron tried to tease him; I glared at him until he stopped. Ninetales' tuft was thicker compared to last time she was out which was a good sign she was getting closer to a healthy weight.

"Gather around me! Today's a big day!" Sealeo rushed to be the first one over. "We're taking on a gym filled with water types. Magneton is the ace up out sleeve so don't feel like you need do it all by yourself. Sealeo and Linoone, you two can cause a lot of problems. Altaria, watch out for surprise Ice Beam attacks. Ninetales and Aggron… you're in emergency reserve. This is one of those times where the type advantage might be too much to overcome. Don't feel bad about it. Let's get it done."

Rowboat taxis bustled around me as the one I was in went to the gym. It was a lot bigger up-close despite being on a small plot of land; at least three stories tall with a lot of depth. The interior had a massive waterfall in the back that split off into different paths. A glass floor guided me to a set of stairs where a referee was waiting.

"Ryan! Thank you for arriving on time. Five trainers are waiting for you downstairs. Losing to any of them does not end the challenge. I can heal your Pokémon after every battle so you don't have to waste time running back to the Pokémon Center. Money will be taken care of after your match with Wallace. Would you like to change before getting started?"

"What's wrong with shorts and a simple shirt?"

"You're guaranteed to get splashed while you're here. There's a bathroom downstairs with towels."

If the beach taught me anything, wet shorts are annoying to deal with. "Bathing suit it is. Keeping the shirt on, though."

After digging it out from the bottom of my bag, I was led down to level one. Large areas of water were essentially broken up into swimming pools. Our field had two trainer platforms plus five large rectangular slabs of concrete that were close enough to jump to yet gave enough maneuverability to water types. Seeing a middle-aged woman as my opponent was a bit awkward since I was used to battling people my age.

"We'll start with a one on one battle. The standard payout is 2,752P," the referee stated. "Ma'am, please send out your Pokémon."

"Alright! I choose Azumarill!" It casually floated in the water.

Nothing special. "Magneton, you're up!"

The flags went up. "Go!"

"Use Thunder!"

"Jump onto the nearest platform then use Aqua Jet!"

Quick thinking caused Thunder to miss by a slim margin. Azumarill charged in to deliver a blow to the center of Magneton's body. Jumping to another platform created more distance.

"Chase it around! Use Thunder when you think you've got it!"

Both Pokémon turned the battle into a game of tag. Hovering around started off well but then Aqua Jet was used to widen the gap. It got to a point where Azumarill was using it when my partner simply looked in its general direction. No clear chance for an attack left us frustrated.

"Maybe use Tri Attack?" I called out hoping to avoid a Winona situation all over again. Despite it being a normal type move, my opponent wasn't taking any chances.

"Get behind and use Aqua Tail!" The extra speed led to another hit, but I saw it as a mistake.

"Thunder!"

Before it could get away, a surge of electricity found its mark. A surefire hit should've resulted in a knockout… except it didn't. Azumarill staggered to its feet breathing heavily.

"Wrap it up with Tri Attack!"

Dodging was out of the question and the opposing Pokémon landed on its back. Magneton was happy to come away with the win; I was cautiously optimistic.

"Azumarill is unable to battle. Magneton wins! Please grab the next trainer for me while I heal this gentleman's Pokémon."

Each gym did its best to prevent assistants and leaders from seeing a challenger's Pokémon. Common courtesy was to hide in another room or turn around with something to block or limit hearing. My trick back in Mauville was to carry stuff to storage to see if I could catch a glimpse of something. It was more for me than Wattson. Most of the time it wasn't helpful. A girl slightly older than me came out next. The referee got set.

"Next up is another one on one battle. Normal payout is 2,408P."

She looked over then looked back to me. "Interesting. Did you want to dodge us or come after us? Let's find out. Gorebyss, time to battle!"

Rare Pokémon choice because of what a person had to go through to get one. I had never battled against one although they didn't sound too bad on their own. It gave me an excuse to use my Pokédex.

_Gorebyss, the South Sea Pokémon. Its body is built to withstand extreme water pressure while also allowing it to swim elegantly._

"Magneton, you got this!"

"Ready? Go!"

I was surprised that Gorebyss didn't hop on the closest platform. "Thunder!"

"Psychic!"

Holding Magneton in place made it harder to fire an effective blast. Sparks eventually came out then used the pool to focus the attack on Gorebyss. The relatively weak shock was enough to break its concentration.

"Blast it with Thunder!"

"Dive as deep as you can!"

My opponent's plan didn't have time to develop. A stream of electricity covered Gorebyss' body en route to a quick knockout decision. I wasn't as happy as someone else would be. Seeing any psychic influence in a gym dedicated to water types got me frustrated. Dodging electricity by going underwater had me more upset.

"Why did Wallace let an idiot like you be a gym assistant? Seriously? There are five platforms! Use them to dodge electric attacks!" I yelled across the field.

She waved her hand dismissively at me. "Spoken like someone who's not familiar with water types. Goodbye." The referee pointed over with a scowl.

"Here's your warning. Another outburst like that will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct. Understand?"

"Whatever. Who's next?" I grunted.

"A trainer with two Pokémon; standard league rules. This battle is normally 656P."

I tried not to laugh when a kid came in. She couldn't have been older than eleven yet working for the league. Did someone lose a bet?

"My turn! My turn! Go Luvdisc!" she said with unbridled enthusiasm. I was still heated from my last battle.

"This'll be quick. Magneton!" The referee's cadence was a pointless formality. "Zap it," I coldly ordered.

The look on her face was pure dejection. Even with an order to dodge, Luvdisc stood no chance. Magneton's attack was too fast and too powerful. I saw the ref hold out longer than normal to make her feel a little better. No amount of waiting was going to undo the damage.

"Luvdisc is unable to battle. Please make your second choice."

"O-o-okay. S-Seadra, go," she said in a low voice.

"Both battlers ready? Start!"

For better or worse, she was still in a funk. "Go for Thunder." My command made her look at the ground.

"Agility!" she yelled with clenched fists and closed eyes.

Seadra responded by jumping onto a platform then hopped around like Azumarill. Her attitude swung in the other direction when another bolt of electricity missed.

"Smokescreen!" Black smoke quickly filled my side of the field. "Follow up with Bubble Beam!"

"Metal Sound!"

Magneton eventually got Seadra to stay still at the cost of being hit. A few bubbles exploded in the water by me and I got drenched. The water type became so agitated that it jumped back in looking for relief.

"No! You have to get back on land!" she pleaded.

"Thunder!"

Even though Metal Sound helped, I doubt Seadra would've withstood a normal Thunder. Some static found its way back to me despite the attack being fired in the opposite direction, but I wasn't hurt. My opponent sniveled when our ref made the final decision. Thankfully, I wasn't hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Another trainer came out looking nearly identical to the one who used Gorebyss.

"Back to a one against one battle going for 2,408P normally. Miss, if you please."

"Of course. Huntail, time to shine!" I took out my Pokédex again.

_Huntail, the Deep-Sea Pokémon. Due to living deep in extreme depths for thousands of years, it has the ability to see clearly in murky and/or dark waters._

At least it was something different. Hoenn had so much water yet I grew up seeing Tentacool or an occasional Wailmer. Reading textbooks was nothing compared to seeing new Pokémon in real life.

"Go Magneton!" It was surprised about coming out for the fourth consecutive battle.

"Start!"

I wasn't familiar with Huntail's strengths. "Okay, let's get that win! Thunder!"

"Sucker Punch!"

It caught us off guard with how fast it moved through the water. Magneton tried locking on for a hit only to wait too long. Huntail sprung out of the water then slammed my Pokémon into a platform using its tail. Stunned was an accurate description of how we felt.

"Quick! Follow it up with Aqua Tail!"

"Get up and try again!" I yelled as Huntail went in while Magneton was still down.

Risking it for a second hit up close proved to be a bad choice. The water from Aqua Tail helped guide the electricity for a clean knockout. I wanted to comment on how dumb her plan was, but I saw the merit in it. Electric types couldn't beat water types if they didn't even have a chance to attack. My Pokédex beeped after the dust settled.

_Magneton is trying to learn Screech. To get rid of a move, please select the one you wish to delete and point the Pokédex at Magneton._

Unlike Metal Sound, Screech didn't really help me in the long run. Nearly half of my team's moves were special attacks. Linoone's goal was to win by being annoying; Aggron had the raw power to take care of business on his own. It kept a neutral tone about the information.

_Magneton did not learn Screech._

The last battle before Wallace was against another kid. She tossed her Pokémon Ball on a platform.

"Ludicolo!"

Constant healing from the portable machine only healed physical wounds. Magneton needed a round off to prepare for the gym leader match. Ludicolo's hybrid typing was an effective combination with only two weaknesses.

"Altaria!"

"Final preliminary battle! Standard prize amount is 672P. Begin!"

I went for the obvious move. "Fly!"

"Not so fast! Fake Out!"

Deception by Ludicolo caused Altaria to drop her guard long enough for it to get right next to her. She got slapped to the side. It wasn't a strong hit although it made her flinch.

"Use Dragon Pulse while it's close!" She got up fast enough to deliver an accurate attack. "Fly!"

"Too high up! Rain Dance!" my opponent called out before Ludicolo thought about going after Altaria on its own.

Clouds formed overhead before heavy rainfall covered the entire battle area. Ludicolo had extra pep in its step just waiting for Altaria to come down. I wasn't a fan.

"Nail it!" I called out over the splashing

"You can dodge that!" Swooping down as fast as she could meant nothing; Ludicolo moved out of the way so casually. "Waterfall!"

"Protect yourself with Cotton Guard!"

The Carefree Pokémon propelled itself ahead to deliver a strong blow before Altaria could puff up. Just like with Fake Out, it didn't appear to do that much damage. She probably wouldn't feel a thing the next time.

"Dragon Pulse!"

"We have the advantage! Dodge!" It did so effortlessly.

Unlike the last kid, this one knew what she was doing. I found it odd that the hit and run style seemed to be her main strategy. Then it hit me: Swift Swim. The memory of battling a trainer in the desert by route 111 came back. Swablu was my only Pokémon at the time and the asshole trainer's Lombre pulled the same stunt. Ludicolo was going to take a bit more time to wear down.

"Dragon Breath! Rapid fire while in the air!"

Making the attack seemingly unavoidable got my opponent to freeze. Little balls of green fire pelted the water and grass type for little damage, but the side effect kicked in. Seeing the speedy Pokémon hunch over trying to get loose was satisfying.

"Waterfall!" Its movement was a lot slower and the attack bounced off Altaria.

"Fly!"

Altaria took to the sky then stalked her prey for the perfect spot to hit. The kid hadn't called out the fourth move which had me nervous. Considering the circumstances, I eventually threw caution to the wind.

"Ram it!"

Paralysis took effect leaving my opponent's Pokémon helpless. Altaria delivered a big hit that sent Ludicolo into the water on its back. It struggled back to a platform edge but collapsed with arms outstretched and its face down on the hard surface.

"All battles have been completed! Allow me to heal your Pokémon one last time so you can move on to Wallace," the referee said.

I let the machine do its job while I dried my bathing suit off. Changing shirts was done for comfort since I knew getting soaked again was a likely possibility. I took an extra minute to stare at my reflection in silence.

That Rain Badge was going to be mine.

 


	32. Sloshing Onward

Knowing all the preliminary battles were done helped me reign in my emotions on the way upstairs. Diving deeper to avoid electrical attacks? To have someone say something so dumb was insulting. Working under Wattson, I saw first-hand how deadly they could be. I let it go when the lobby was in my sights.

There were a few trainers milling around in the entrance as I figured out where to go next. Brown ramps were on the other side of a blue tile floor. The referee surprisingly kicked them out before refocusing on me; battles were usually open to anyone wanting to watch. A slip of paper was pulled out along with a pencil.

"Congratulations on the first portion of the challenge. For part two, you must clear three tile puzzles."

"Wasn't I supposed to battle Wallace next?"

"Picking the option to battle trainers first doesn't exempt you from doing the puzzles." I casually shrugged my shoulders; thought I could catch the ref slipping up. "Anyway, the goal is to step on all the tiles to turn the ramp on the other side into a set of stairs. Attempting to climb up the side or fly over without solving the puzzles will result in disqualification. Follow me so far?"

"Yup."

"Good. The challenge is to step on each tile only once. If you step on the same tile twice, you'll fall into the pools below. You can turn on the tiles without falling. However, you won't have to battle any trainers if you fall. That paper can be used to track your progress. You have unlimited attempts to complete all three rounds. I'll stay behind in case you want to stop at any point. Would you like me to watch your gear?"

Rough challenge but it was more than fair. "Sure." I set my bag down then planned my route for the first puzzle.

The paper gave me an overhead view of what I was dealing with. It was a simple grid that took little effort to solve. Blue tiles turned red when I stepped on them as an indicator. When each tile was red, gears turned the brown ramp into a set of stairs. The puzzle was reset to allow the referee to follow me to the next one.

Not being able to see it from the entrance was probably for the best as it looked more intimidating. A basic grid on its own wasn't too bad… except nine spaces in the middle were clearly solid. It was marked as black on the paper.

"Brown floor tiles?" I asked.

"You may use them to help you complete the puzzle or you can ignore them. There's no penalty for stepping on them more than once. Turning the other tiles red is still required," the referee replied. I took a little longer to plan my route around the area.

The optimal pattern was to walk two steps up, one step over, then go up and down until reaching the lower far-right corner. Nine steps in and I went back to the paper. Surprisingly, the brown tiles weren't needed. More zigzagging along the right side led me near the ramp. One step down followed by three steps to the left made the rest easy. After getting to the lower far-left corner, I simply went up and over to complete the second puzzle.

"Guess he thinks this is fun," I muttered.

The last puzzle was a ridiculous 15 x 7 area with three separate patches of solid ground. Each safe area was nine tiles separated by a line of three blue tiles. Some green spots on the paper indicated a possible trainer battle on the brown section; nobody was on those spaces. Regardless, I needed to turn 78 tiles red. Fifteen minutes were spent just trying to get started.

Moving right first allowed me to take out the bottom row and the two columns next to the far-right solid area. I carefully took out most of the second row followed by zigzagging my way through the rest of the first row. I took a break in the bottom left corner to figure out the rest.

"Okay… I already did 39 tiles. Where the hell do I go now?" I said to myself. The referee kept a stone face when I looked over. "Those blue ones in between the brown spaces need to be stepped on… but in what order?"

Combinations were scribbled down and erased until I figured out the rest of the order. Two steps up then going all the way right finished the third row. One step up and going left cleaned out the fourth row. Under normal circumstances, the trainers would've been on a corner of the solid area thus making my route harder. Them not being present allowed me a much easier path.

One step up and going to the right filled the fifth row. The finishing touch was carefully tiptoeing up and down on the top two rows while leaving myself enough tiles to reach the end. I took a deep breath as the final ramp turned to stairs. The referee casually walked over.

"Most trainers treat the last round like there's an assistant standing in those two spots even if there's not. They rely on the map so much that they take a harder route or end up falling into the pool. I'll give you some time to take a break. Come up when you're ready."

Sitting down on the bottom step and letting my head rest on the second one felt comfortable. The sound of a large waterfall crashing down was more noticeable with each passing moment. I broke out in a cold sweat frantically clutching my waist to make sure each Poké Ball was still on my belt. Hyperventilating seemingly came out of nowhere. Tears started streaking down my face.

Hitting the center of a ball caused Linoone to appear. I thought I felt him tug on my leg, but then he jumped in my lap. He was staring at me out of concern when I finally looked down. Rubbing up against my stomach got me to pet him. An attempt at hugging me was met with my own. We stayed that way until I regained my composure.

"It's probably for decoration. It's probably for decoration. It's probably for decoration," I whispered while recalling Linoone. Wallace stood at the northernmost part of the gym between said waterfall and a steel plate covering the field embedded in the ground. Someone must've pulled a switch because the waterfall lost a lot of power.

He looked like he was entering a contest. White pants, white shoes, white sailor hat, three white bracelets on each forearm, purple crop top, long turquoise scarf, and some kind of white cape with a collar. On the ground near his trainer box was a long cloak. He took a bow as I stepped closer.

"Welcome to the Sootopolis gym, Ryan. Prepare to be tested like no other trainer that has stood in your place," he said in a serious yet respectful tone.

"Give me your best shot."

"As the gym closest to Ever Grande City, I face trainers with seven badges all the time." He stood up for our pre-match handshake. "You'll get only my best."

With a snap of his fingers, the steel plate opened. Our field rose to the top looking like a riverbank. Dirt and grass covered the outside portions. A large oval shaped body of water was by each trainer's box after a few feet of land; they were connected by winding path. Land from the middle of the left came in so far in that it somewhat bottlenecked the middle of the canal. Quirky design aside, it was deemed legal.

"This will be a battle for the Rain Badge. It will be a six on six battle with only the challenger being able to substitute. Neither side may utilize the waterfall in battle. All other league rules apply."

A mix of emotions came over me when I heard it was going to be a full battle. Normally, the format in official battles was reserved for the upper levels of the Hoenn League. Norman allowed trainers to use up to six, but he could only use three. Wattson let trainers use six against his assistants on occasion, but they had to pick three when it came time for a badge.

Having a full battle actually put me at a huge disadvantage. If I wanted to stand a chance at winning, I needed to take Norman's advice and use everyone. Ninetales and Aggron inflicting any amount of damage was a win for them in my book.

"Go Luvdisc!" Wallace confidently exclaimed. It naturally hopped in the water.

Out of all the water Pokémon, no…  _Pokémon_ in the world, Wallace chose one of the weakest ones. It had to be some sort of diversion. Luring an opponent into a false sense of security then nailing them with stronger Pokémon was a strategy as old as time. Props to him for hustling the shit out of unsuspecting trainers.

"Ninetales!" She came out looking confused. "Remember what I said about being used in emergency reserve? Well, it's that time. Do you want to battle?"

Calling the current situation an emergency was hyperbole. If anything, it was a relatively low-pressure situation. Using her later in the battle wasn't going to end well. She nodded confidently after thinking it over.

"Quite the confidence you have in your partner," Wallace noted.

"Ninetales versus Luvdisc. Begin!"

I opted to start slow. "Will-O-Wisp!"

For the first time, there wasn't any flinching or significant delay in reaction time. It seemed like a poor move choice at first glance. My goal was to see how Wallace was going to defend. He let the wisps get awfully close before responding.

"Underwater!" Luvdisc moved about as fast as I expected. "Get closer then use Water Pulse!"

Gaining ground without seeing it made me freeze. I didn't want to leave my Pokémon in a bad position by having her blindly aim attacks. Ripples on the water gave away its location; just over the midway point of the canal. Ninetales started to move around out of anxiety.

"Hold steady. Let it come to you," I calmly ordered. More ripples appeared on our third of the water.

"Come up firing!" Wallace yelled. It barely poked its mouth above the surface to shoot balls of water.

"Flamethrower!"

Due to how weak Luvdisc as a species was, Flamethrower turned the water attack into steam. Some stray flames even fell on Wallace's Pokémon. The downside was I couldn't see anything afterwards.

"Sweet Kiss!" I heard from the other side.

"Will-O-Wisp to defend yourself!"

I heard a small splash in the water and made out Ninetales' attack. Each wisp innocently floated over the water's surface before fizzling out. A shadow came from the canal followed by radiant pink lips. It retreated to the water once the steam started to go away. Ninetales' eyes were half closed while she was stumbling about.

"You have to snap out of confusion! Extrasensory!" She responded by thrashing about. Her movements led her closer to the oval body of water on my side. "Watch out!"

"Luvdisc, Water Pulse!"

Three rounds were fired from close range with each landing a direct hit. Wallace was content with inflicting a lot of damage in exchange for Ninetales snapping herself out of confusion. Although she stayed on her feet, she was panting.

"Extrasensory!" Rainbow-colored energy came out of the fire type's maw to score a clean hit. "Follow up with Hex!"

Wallace was a little surprised at the sudden tempo change. "Go for Water Pulse!"

Luvdisc used its speed to come from the canal into the oval portion. Blobs hit Ninetales faster than she could even aim. Her legs wobbled until they couldn't support her body weight; she was close to fainting.

"Finish it with Draining Kiss!" That was enough to score the knockout.

"Ninetales is unable to battle. Luvdisc wins!"

Using a weak fairy move to finish off a fire type was level of disrespect I had never witnessed. Getting worked over like that by a Luvdisc could be enough to make a lot of trainers reconsider finishing their journey. I had been on the giving end of so many beatdowns that I couldn't really get mad about it. My main concern was Ninetales' mindset after recalling her.

Would she try to pretend like the battle never happened next time she came out of her ball? Would she bawl her eyes out? The idea of her completely shutting down scared me the most. I doubt all her mental wounds dealt from her previous owner still hadn't healed.

"This should only take a few seconds. Magneton!" Wallace simply stood still.

Both flags went up. "Magneton versus Luvdisc. Begin!"

"Zap it with Thunder!"

"Sweet kiss!"

Instead of direct contact, a set of translucent lips slowly hovered over to my Pokémon. Dodging was relatively easy. A direct lightning bolt to the water type rendered it unconscious. Neither Wallace nor I showed any emotion when the flag went up.

"Luvdisc is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

He calmly took out Luvdisc's ball. "Good effort. I've won a few rounds from my opponent's Pokémon simply hurting themselves in confusion."

"I can believe that since it seems to be the only defense against electric types. What I  _can't_  believe is I dignified that round by using Thunder."

That got him a little agitated. "If you think relying on electricity alone will get you a badge, you're sorely mistaken. Go Whiscash!"

Few combinations were more frustrating to face than ground and water. The Whiskers Pokémon along with Swampert annoyed Wattson the most. I found it funny that the ground typing didn't deter it from hopping in the oval part on Wallace's side. Grass was its only weakness; nobody on my team had a grass move. Immunity to electric attacks made Magneton an awful matchup.

"Ref, I'm making a switch. Sealeo for Magneton!"

Wallace's interest piqued as my newest teammate made itself comfortable in the water. I had doubts about dealing with a water battle. However, our current situation was nothing like the sea battle on way to Sootopolis.

"Sealeo versus Whiscash. Begin!"

"Go for Surf!" I ordered hoping to get a big hit off.

Unlike using its body to create a tidal wave, Sealeo opted to attack differently. A large clear ball formed in its mouth before he fired in into the canal. The water in the canal plus the added ball made a large wave carrying small chunks of the field.

"Ride it with Waterfall!" Wallace playfully said.

My jaw dropped. "No fucking way!"

Whiscash even had the confidence to approach the looming attack. When it should've been sucked under, it easily climbed to the top. Sealeo tried another round on his own; Whiscash held its position.

"Make your way down then use Zen Headbutt!"

It used the backside of the wave plus the foam near the bottom to hide. Blue light covered Whiscash's head when it shot out at Sealeo. He took the hit to his stomach like a champ. The force of the attack had him pinned against the dirt slope close to my trainer box; Whiscash didn't back off.

"Frost Breath!" Ice particles instantly covered Wallace's Pokémon and forced it to back off. "Surf!"

Whiscash was in no condition to defend itself from getting caught in the swell. Being tossed on shore near the far-left corner added some extra pain. Wallace pointed to the area of land jutting into the canal.

"Shake things up with Earthquake!"

Repeated tail slaps flattened the land to the point where it went underwater. Whiscash hopped in to continue. Water started to rush to the center along with Sealeo; it was like pulling a rubber stopper out of a full bathtub. He struggled to break free of the sudden current. I hoped attacking would buy some time.

"Don't fight the current! Face forward and use Surf!"

Wallace shook his head. "Not going to work. Waterfall into Zen Headbutt!"

It was the same result except Sealeo had time to brace himself for the hit. Recoil sent him on a thin strip of land on the right side of the field. The current stopped as if that same plug was put back. His heavy breathing wasn't a good sign.

"Return!" With the action coming to a halt, I realized Sealeo didn't need to go through all that trouble. I punched my thigh in frustration. "Fuck me! Altaria, I choose you!"

She came out looking concerned for me; I indicated nothing was seriously wrong. Wallace surprisingly didn't react as his Pokémon was still on my side of the field to start. Our referee acknowledged the switch.

"Altaria versus Whiscash. Start!"

"Cotton Guard!"

Unless Whiscash's last move was something amazing, it was going to take a substantial effort to beat Altaria. Earthquake was ineffective, Waterfall in general didn't pose a threat, and Zen Headbutt seemed like a filler move. Her extra layer of protection wasn't going to be worn down so easily. Too bad Wallace couldn't switch.

"Zen Headbutt!"

I preferred her taking as little damage as possible instead of showing off what that extra cotton could do. "Fly!"

She took to the sky as her counterpart smashed its head on a muddy slope. Whiscash should've landed back in the water. The earlier Earthquake drained a decent amount of water from my side of the field. I couldn't tell if it transferred to Wallace's side or if it actually fell down some hole underneath the field.

"Come in for the hit!" I ordered seeing Wallace's Pokémon struggling to free itself.

Altaria's speed stayed the same despite all the fluff. She landed a hit squarely into Whiscash's side causing it to end up back in the water. Just like Ninetales, it was hanging on by a thread.

"Mud sport!"

I panicked. "Dragon Breath!"

Blobs of mud were spat out randomly across the field. A couple grazed Altaria's wings as she tried to position herself for the attack causing her to pause for a bit and look at the pool while more kept coming. Green flames eventually found their way to Wallace's Pokémon. I ordered another one to prevent any more momentum. Hearing Whiscash groan while unconscious was enough for a decision.

"Whiscash is unable to battle. Altaria wins!"

She flew into the oval pool on my side and furiously started cleaning her wings. That behavior was never exhibited in the past. I was about to say something until Wallace beat me to the punch.

"Pokémon sometimes revert to their pre-evolution habits. Swablu are known for making sure they stay as clean as possible. I should know because Lisia has an Altaria of her own."

I gave him a confused look. "Who?"

"One of my rivals in the Pokémon contest scene," he causally replied. "You'd be surprised at how long it takes those two to get ready. Anyway, let's get back to the action. Go Seaking!"

Not a threatening Pokémon by any means but Luvdisc demonstrated that looks were deceiving. However, Altaria was in a good spot with the massive defense boost plus a natural type advantage. I had a gut feeling that a single Ice Beam wouldn't be enough to knock her out.

"Altaria versus Seaking. Go!"

"Dragon Pulse!" I ordered hoping to build a bigger lead as quickly as possible.

"Fine by us. Aqua Ring!"

Seaking cried up to the ceiling as it started to glow. Dragon Pulse found its mark which interrupted the weird cry. I thought something was going to happen from the Goldfish Pokémon only to be disappointed.

"Go for Dragon Pulse again!"

"Dive underwater!" Altaria's attack skimmed the water but never dipped below the surface. "Come up and use Rain Dance!"

Chanting created thick dark clouds over the middle of the field. The first drop had me pulling my shirt over my head, but I gave up when the torrential downpour came. A light blue aura covered Seaking for a few seconds then faded away. I had no idea what it meant.

"Fly!" Wallace let his partner sit idly while holding a small grin. He was daring me to give the order as the aura showed itself again. "Nail it!"

Altaria charged in at an angle in case she needed to change direction. Unfortunately, her maneuverability was outclassed by Seaking's speed. It whizzed around the oval section effortlessly. Circling back for a second hit only tired her out more.

"Land then use Dragon Breath!"

Wallace pointed right at her. "Waterfall!"

Seaking looked like it got shot out of cannon. The initial momentum got it in the air to dodge the green flames. Just like Surf, a ball of water provided an extra boost. Altaria took a direct hit but was unfazed due to her extra cotton layer. Before she got a chance to gather herself, the Goldfish Pokémon had created some distance. Another flash of aura happened.

"Getting  _really_  tired of Swift Swim," I said with a hint of anger. I needed some luck. "Dragon Breath!"

"You can dodge that! Focus on lining up!" the gym leader said with some vigor.

One of the most unimpressive Pokémon in the world was making mine look like a joke. Each attempt was too slow and Altaria started to get winded despite not taking a lot of damage. Aura radiated from Seaking once again. The rain also showed no signs of letting up.

"Rush in now!"

"Push through! It's opening itself up!"

One weak stream found its mark, yet it wasn't enough to slow Seaking down. Its precise movements through the canal forced me to make Altaria hover. There was excitement in my opponent's eyes when the water type was in my oval pool.

"Horn Drill!"

Seaking spun its horn while going full speed ahead. Between Altaria being tired and Swift Swim, there was nothing I could do. The attack hit her square in the stomach through her defenses. She was unconscious before even hitting the ground.

"Altaria is unable to battle. Seaking wins!"

I almost fumbled her ball from trying to recall her so fast. One hit knockout moves had the potential to be fatal if proper action wasn't taken. My saving graces were that Horn Drill, in my opinion, was the least painful out of the four and it was used by a not-so-powerful Pokémon. Adding insult to injury, Seaking looked visibly refreshed.

I shook my head in disgust. "Poor planning just to get one knockout. Magneton, get out here!" We all knew what was coming.

"Magneton versus Seaking. Battle!"

"Thunder!" I screamed with venom in my voice.

With the rain still in play and Seaking sitting in the pool, the attack was unavoidable. The satisfaction of seeing it zapped felt great. There was only one problem; it wasn't enough to make it faint. I skimmed the field looking for an explanation until seeing the piles of mud scattered about on the riverbank slopes. There wasn't much left, but it drew enough electricity away from the main stream.

"Horn Drill!"

"Enough with the bullshit! Thunder!"

Nothing was going to save Seaking. It took another direct hit before having a chance to hop out of the water. The aura didn't show itself and the rain started to lighten up. Leftover mud washed away into the pool.

"Seaking is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

The break in the action allowed me to properly assess the situation. Wallace had three Pokémon left while I had four. Sealeo had taken the most damage, Linoone was my healthiest, and Aggron had no good matchups. Nothing on my opponent's side landed a hit on Magneton which meant Sturdy was still in play.

"Keep 'em coming. Plenty of electricity left in the tank with no Mud Sport to slow us down," I said across the way.

He kept his cool. "Sealeo, you're up!"

I couldn't help but notice how composed it looked in the water. Probably had something to do with living the contest life on the side. The thought of mine being professionally pampered even for an hour after living its entire life in a cave got a small laugh out of me. I'd bet he would have no idea what to do.

"Magneton versus Sealeo. Go!"

Playtime could wait with the rain letting up. "Thunder!"

"Aurora Beam!"

Electricity reached Sealeo on the other side before it got a chance to attack. I thought it would be enough without Mud Sport, but Sealeo was barely conscious. Luck was on my side as paralysis prevented it from immediately retaliating.

"Flash Cannon!"

"Jump up then use Body Slam!"

Wallace's order was more about having confidence in his Pokémon than anything. Flash Cannon found its target before Sealeo had a chance to attack. It ended up on its back as the rain stopped.

"Sealeo is unable to battle. Magneton wins!"

The water gym leader looked unimpressed. "Your Magneton isn't as strong as I thought. Are you sure that you'll have enough electricity left until the end?"

"Watch it pretty boy!" I growled. "After I'm done with you, a Pokémon Center might not be enough." Both flags were crossed over his head immediately after I finished. The ref was pissed.

"Unsportsmanlike conduct on the challenger!"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "Come on ref! At least _act_ like you've heard trash talk before!"

He was having none of it. "Sir, that was far beyond trash talk. Keep it up and you'll forfeit this match!"

"Fine. Can we please continue?

Notes were scribbled on a card. "Gym leader, please send out your next Pokémon."

"Very well. Tentacruel, I choose you!"

A stark contrast in comparison to the other four Pokémon he sent out. As far as my limited knowledge of contests was concerned, Tentacruel didn't feel like a good choice for one based on looks. It didn't mind being sent out on Wallace's land portion. I had no clue what to expect from it.

The poison half of its typing might've enticed other trainers to stay in, but I saw it as a trap. Magneton's Sturdy was still in-tact and I had no intention to push my luck. A leader's strongest Pokémon was usually saved for last.

"Magneton, return! Aggron, have a crack at it!" He came out unfazed despite being at a total disadvantage.

Keeping the poison typing irrelevant while inflicting heavy damage was my new strategy. Aggron needed one or two good hits for someone else to clean up if a win wasn't possible. His counterpart had the ability to move well on both parts of the field. Both Pokémon snarled while sizing each other up.

"Aggron versus Magneton. Begin!"

Three out of Aggron's four moves were useless with a body of water separating them. Completely draining the field wasn't ideal; Sealeo was still an option if I needed a switch.

"Rock Slide!"

"Defend with Acid Spray!"

He did his best to carve out a portion of land to the right for ammunition. Large piles were mostly dissolved yet some remaining debris hit around Tentacruel's eyes.

"Again! Move around if you have to!" My Pokémon ran to the back-left corner where the driest land was.

"Screech!" The piercing noise stopped Aggron from carving up the field. "Jump into the pool and use Water Pulse!"

"You need to run forward!"

The noise prevented Aggron from hearing me. Quickly shifting from defense to offense allowed Wallace's partner to easily hit him with a huge burst of water. I needed to close the gap.

"Go up the left side!"

"Keep the pressure on with Water Pulse!"

Balls of water were shot out as Aggron moved in closer. His clunky movements combined with an occasional duck or lean made for a tense run; a few attacks grazed the midsection. Getting him near the part Whiscash flattened opened up more opportunities.

"Use Rock Slide!"

"Same as before, Tentacruel! Acid Spray!" Aggron dug deeper to hurl two rocks nearly double the size of him. Wallace's eyes went wide. "Change to Poison Jab!"

The frontmost tentacle turned neon pink to break the rock into smaller ones. Most of the leftovers harmlessly bounced off its head. There was a small wince when the dust was close to settling. Water creeped from the canal into the newly formed divot.

"Another one!" I ordered.

"Poison Jab!"

He backed up, put his head down, and propelled himself forward. Poison Jab didn't slow Aggron down as the force of the attack sent Tentacruel across the water. He lost momentum in the middle of the pool before falling in and proceeded to flail about.

"Water Pulse!"

Close quarters meant the attack didn't miss. Multiple blasts pushed him back to land on the left side. He spit out all the water in his system before going unconscious.

"Aggron is unable to battle. Tentacruel wins!"

I wasn't frustrated about him trying to play hero despite saying the opposite before challenging the gym; I couldn't be. Nothing was in his favor from the beginning. I wanted him to get a hit and he delivered. How much did water really bother him?

"My oh my… that's a level of recklessness I haven't seen before in a gym battle. No scolding either? You walk a fine line between appearing incompetent as a trainer and letting your Pokémon do what they think is best," Wallace earnestly noted.

"Not much I can do about Aggron's adamant nature. He'll do anything he can to win regardless of what stands in his way."

He nodded. "Eliminating every natural instinct a Pokémon has is impossible. Believe me, I've tried. No round object in my house is safe from Sealeo."

"Mine showed off with a candy bar." Our casual conversation made me feel guilty about going after him earlier. It felt like we weren't in a battle until I was motioned to continue. "Next up, Linoone!"

By far the healthiest teammate I had left when factoring everything in. Magneton not knocking out Sealeo in one hit made me cautious about using it to finish the job. I needed my ace in the hole at full physical strength to deal with whatever was next. Both flags went up.

"Linoone versus Tentacruel. Begin!"

He had materialized on the land between the pond on my side and the trainer box. Unfortunately, that part of the field was too far away to launch an effective attack. It was also muddy. Rain Dance softened up a lot of the field, but not nearly as much on the edges.

"Move up the right side for Sand Attack!" I said, knowing he could easily find a comfortable area to get started.

"Acid Spray!"

Running to his spot was easier because of the distance between Pokémon; Tentacruel's attack was behind Linoone when it hit the ground each time. Going up the side with a clear path forced the gym leader's partner to turn.

Linoone swiped a combination of loose dirt and small crumbs on the run to no avail. However, he turned up the intensity when he settled in near Tentacruel. Claws dug up as much as possible per scoop in addition to being fast. One hit from Acid Spray caused a brief stoppage before the dirt flew again. I finally had an opening when it started to wipe its eyes.

"Slash!"

My partner propelled himself straight ahead to deliver a passing body blow with a glowing right claw. He ended up just short of the land on the left side; displeasure was on his face as he crawled out of the shallow water.

"Follow up with Covet!"

He pounced on top of Tentacruel's squishy head and went to town. Biting, scratching, clawing, jumping, whatever he could do to make things more miserable.

"Screech!" The aggravating noise made Linoone stop to curl up. "Dive underwater! Wait a few seconds then come up!"

I didn't need to tell him to jump back to safety. He took the opportunity to shake off any excess water. Not only did the maneuver stop the pummeling, it came back up focused. Debris had been cleared from its eyes.

"Poison Jab!"

"Shadow Claw!"

Again, Linoone threw himself forward bearing the ghost type attack. Multiple tentacles had a neon pink tip when they were coming at him. Whether it was intentional or not, he used one as a bridge to get a shot at the main body. Tentacruel roared in pain but swatted him back to the pool on my side.

His eyes looked heavy and breathing was labored. A wince every few movements combined with a slow pace were good signs of poisoning. The effort to get close paid off as his opponent collapsed near Wallace's feet.

"Tentacruel is unable to battle. Linoone wins!"

Just one more obstacle stood between me and the Rain Badge. Adrenaline coursed through my body with each passing second until my heart rate maxed out. Beads of sweat dripped down from my forehead in anticipation of what was coming out next.

"Your test is almost complete. Will you rise up to the final challenge or crumble under pressure? Go, my last Pokémon! Milotic!"

A large serpentine Pokémon materialized in the water looking majestic yet fierce. Its eyes were a piercing red with a thin layer of black and topped off with a white pupil. Its cream-colored body stood at least a dozen feet above the water with black spots on the back. The lower body, which was sticking out but off to the side, had blue and pink scaled shaped like diamonds and separated by black edges. Its tail consisted of four small fins in the shape of a traditional fan containing oval scales of the same color. Large red hair-like fins on the side of each eye draped down into the water.

Wallace having a Milotic was on par with Drake of the Elite Four having a Salamence. Owning a Milotic meant its trainer put an absurd of time and patience into raising it. Finding a Feebas was hard enough on its own. My hand shook while pulling out my Pokédex.

_Milotic, the Tender Pokémon. People have regarded it as the most beautiful Pokémon in the world. It has the ability to release a vivid pink aura from its body to quell anything from petty bickering to a furious rage. In some cases, merely looking at it can calm troubled hearts._

"She is my pride and joy, Ryan. I can sympathize with what you're going through with Latias," he solemnly said with his head down. When he looked up, the intensity radiating from him was unsettling. "Prove to me you're strong enough to get her back if we can't help!"

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I looked at the ceiling. It took every ounce of willpower to avoid a complete breakdown. I heard Linoone barking nonstop on Wallace's side and digging into the field in anticipation of continuing the battle.

"Dammit! Just go already!" I sobbed while putting my right hand over my eyes.

"Linoone versus Milotic. Start!"

Substituting wouldn't do me any favors because Linoone could collapse the next time I called him out. Instead, I wanted to take advantage of his ability. Quick Feet gave him the extra speed to potentially get in one or two good hits before fainting. I eventually focused my attention back to the field.

"Slash!"

"Ice Beam!"

His superior speed made dodging the beam easy. Aftermath from the attack wasn't on his mind as he jumped at Milotic to deliver a severe body blow. Both Pokémon cried out in pain after Linoone flopped hard into the water. Getting back on land was more important to him than anything. Sand Attack was useless after I remembered what Tentacruel did.

"Again!" I called out.

Wallace stayed still and didn't issue a command. Linoone roared as loud as he could while landing another critical hit based on how loud his opponent cried out. His legs wobbled while climbing out then gave out.

"Milotic, Recover," Wallace calmly ordered.

A yellow light coated the Tender Pokémon before dissipating into thin air leaving some sparkles behind. It looked as if neither Slash attack had landed. She stared curiously at Linoone with her red eyes until he fainted from residual poison damage.

"Linoone is unable to battle. Milotic wins!"

She inched closer and was visibly disappointed when the red beam sucked Linoone back into his ball. Despite being damp and a little cold, I was sweating profusely. Losing to Wallace seemed more likely than winning. Magneton couldn't knock out his Sealeo in one hit with Thunder, so I assumed it wouldn't fare any better against Milotic. Wearing it down mentally was good, but physically was better.

"Sealeo, I need everything you got!"

He appeared to be rested despite a rough outing against Whiscash. My oval pool was still shallow from Wallace ordering an Earthquake earlier in the battle. Sealeo was still covered up to the upper third of his cream-colored area.

"Ready? Sealeo versus Milotic. Start!"

Bullshitting my way through was my best chance to limit Milotic's power. "Use Swagger!"

"Disarming Voice!"

A visible circular sound wave came across the field. It didn't appear large or threatening but ducking underwater to dodge was out of the question. He took the hit worse than I expected; that didn't prevent him from going into asshole mode.

Flippers waved at Milotic to come over to my side. Sealeo followed it up by turning on his side like a model posing for a painting. Pokéspeak followed mixed with low growls followed and Wallace's Pokémon became enraged. There was even a little red in her face. With no physical attacks revealed, there was no downside to using Swagger.

"Don't let it get to you! Disarming Voice!"

Nothing he had could put a dent in Milotic. "Frost Breath!"

Confusion only delayed the water type from firing off its attack. The sound wave hit Sealeo even when he tried moving. Frost Breath seemingly had no effect despite finding its mark. Exhaustion was written all over his face.

"Keep pushing. Go for Frost Breath again!" I encouraged.

"Disarming Voice!"

I thought Milotic would thrash about, but she got the fairy type attack off. Sealeo charged into the canal to get closer. A weak burst of ice came from Sealeo's mouth before he was pushed against a muddy slope. Quiet groans echoed through the gym as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Sealeo is unable to battle. Milotic wins!"

I took a moment to rub my eyes knowing we were down to our last Pokémon. Doubt about my previous decisions entered my mind. Could I have put myself in a better spot or was this the best I could do?

"Magneton, let's bring it home!"

Its jolly nature came to the forefront considering the circumstances. Casually hovering from side to side in front of me was oddly calming. Judging by its body language, nobody would think that it was the last round of a gym battle. It was like Magneton had no concept of pressure or at least did a damn good job of dealing with it.

"Last round! Magneton versus Milotic. Go!"

Milotic was still confused and its damaging moves weren't very effective. Sturdy was also in play. I decided to set up.

"Metal Sound!"

Wallace was shocked that I didn't go for the obvious choice. A high-pitched noised made the large water Pokémon thrash about. She tried to hide underwater on her own."

"You can make it stop with Hydro Pump!"

For the third time in a row, it broke through confusion to shoot a powerful blast of water. The execution left a lot to be desired. She fired it way over the judge's head into the decorative waterfall. I still didn't think one Thunder would be enough.

"Tri Attack!"

"Hydro Pump again!"

My stall tactic had ultimately failed because Milotic regained its senses. It slithered into the canal to get closer then let an accurate attack rip at a downward angle. Magneton tried to push back but was pulverized into the ground by the water pressure. When the onslaught stopped, the steel and electric type got up to shoot a glowing triangle the size of its body across the way. A localized explosion sent Wallace's Pokémon staggering.

The referee and gym leader were amazed that Magneton was still standing. I became amazed when leftover smoke started to turn blue. Crystals ice rapidly formed on Milotic's midsection before its body above the water became encased in ice. Freezing an opponent's Pokémon still didn't count as a win.

"Use every ounce of electricity in your body! Thunder! Thunder Thunder!" I screamed until my voice became hoarse.

Magneton shared my sentiment and took its time to set up. The ice prison was thick so zapping it like usual wouldn't be as effective. Going into the water by Milotic to deliver the voltage was the better option.

Lightning bolts shot out in different directions until they became focused on the frozen water type from below. A pillar of electricity shot up to the ceiling with Milotic in the middle of it. Ice chunks broke off, water from the field overflowed, pieces of the gym fell onto the field, nothing could be heard over the attack, smoke shrouded the area, and then everything just… stopped.

A trance washed over me as I watched everything unfold. My own deep breathing was the first thing I heard followed by water splashing. Magneton emerged from the chaos using whatever energy it had left to hover. Milotic ended up in the large pool on her side. The sound of the judge's flag rippling was oh so satisfying.

"Milotic is unable to battle. Magneton wins! This battle goes to the challenger!"

I threw my head back and arms to the side in relief. Gutsy performances all around plus some mind games made it more interesting than I expected. Walking to give Magneton a hug felt longer than normal. Quiet humming was the response.

"Fantastic job. Get some rest," I whispered. Wallace calmly recalled Milotic then made his way over to me.

"Congratulations on your victory. In accordance with league rules, I hereby present you with the Rain Badge and a TM disc for Water Pulse."

We shook hands. "Thank you. Sorry about earlier."

"Don't worry about it. I've heard worse in here and in contest halls. We can talk about your situation tomorrow over lunch at the Sootopolis Café because I'm booked for the rest of the day."

"Gotcha." Wallace left and the referee took his place.

"Now for the money situation. You chose to battle trainers before trying the puzzle which yields a 1.5 times payout. Your normal total from assistants would be: 2,752P plus 2,408 plus 656 plus 2408 plus 672 or 8,896P. With the multiplier, it's 13,344P. Defeating Wallace is a standard payout of 5,520P. Your grand total is 18,864P."

I let out a small sigh. "How much is a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct again?"

"First and second infractions are 5,000P each. Anything past that is 10,000P per infraction and a one-week suspension from official league activities and events. Would you like me to deduct the amount from your winnings right now or do you plan to appeal?"

Going from Mossdeep to Sootopolis cost me 21,500P plus the cost of lunch on the ferry. I should've flown on Altaria.

"Deduct it. I have better things to do with my time than appeal a fine. By the way, how do I claim my winnings?"

"Call the league offices to make arrangements that suit you."

I slowly nodded. "Okay, but what about the money I already earned from previous gyms?"

"Every registered trainer has a personal ledger tied to the league's universal account. All the money you earned and lost from league sanctioned events is accounted for. You can request a detailed transaction list anytime."

The prospect of sitting on a large sum of money made me feel slightly better. I felt like an idiot for not reading at least a few pages of the league handbook before starting my journey.

"Well then, I need to get my shit together. Have a good one."

Changing into dry clothes could wait for later. Each tile puzzle was reset and disabled on my way out. The more I looked at my reward, the more I realized I only had one more badge to get. Returning to my true home was going to be uncomfortable at best. All of that took a backseat when I was walking to the Pokémon Center.

Ardos' boat was sitting at the docks.


	33. All Business

The same yacht I accepted a job with Pokémon Services on had followed me all the way to Sootopolis nearly a year later. My first time on there, in hindsight, should've been my last. It was about seventy feet long and had three layers: a small covered wheelhouse on the top, the bigger main deck area, and a large mostly covered first level. Compared to other vessels, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Two figures in the wheelhouse were facing the entrance to the city as opposed to my direction. Judging by body composition, they were Ardos and Jen. There was also a large square object that I couldn't make out.

I slightly turned my backpack to them in case one of them turned around. Passing for an average trainer wasn't too hard from their angle. Walking at a normal pace the rest of the way despite having one barely conscious Pokémon helped solidify that image. Nurse Joy seemed out of it when I came to the counter.

"Can my team please get a quick heal?" I timidly asked.

"Oh… yes." Healing machines never ceased to amaze me. "You're all set."

"Is there a spare room I could have for tonight?"

She checked the computer. "One left. It's one closest to the lobby."

I took the key then peeked at the double doors leading to the infirmary. "Did that kid from the ferry make it?"

"None of your concern," she sapped. No point in making her angry so I didn't press the issue.

A long hot shower got me thinking about my battle against Wallace. How did an accurate Thunder attack not knockout a Sealeo? Was Magneton really that weak or were gym leaders just that much stronger after a certain point? Either way, I needed to train more.

Battling trainers while travelling was encouraged yet it never clicked with me. Nearly every battle I participated in had some ulterior meaning up to this point. Winning a lot of money, teaching people a lesson, and earning a badge were the main ones. Starting with three evolved Pokémon plus a Swablu probably made me more complacent compared to someone who started their journey traditionally.

My thought process switched to my team composition. Since gym leaders adjusted their teams based on how many badges a trainer had, what if I challenged Brawly for my fifth badge? My seventh badge? Would I have won on the first try? How different would my team be? I stopped the hypotheticals when I went to my room.

"Are there any rooms left?" a familiar male voice came from the lobby. I stuck my head out of my door.

"We're all full. I'm sorry sir," Nurse Joy replied.

Ardos was standing with Jen and his bodyguard. I nearly yelped when I saw Jon because his silhouette wasn't on the ship. Ardos' appearance was like when I first met him. Short brown hair replaced the long blue hair and the formal business attire made him more intimidating to me than his cloak ever could. The sunglasses still hid his eyes.

"I understand. Could you suggest any other places to stay? We have a meeting around 5:00 this evening at the Sootopolis Café with Wallace and would prefer to leave in the morning."

"Might I suggest the Seaside Inn? It's on the northwest side of the city overlooking route 126. Gorgeous view for a reasonable price plus the walk to the café isn't too long. Feel free to use the computer if you want to search around some more."

They took her advice as I carefully closed my door. I threw on a clean pair of clothes and stood in silence. Staying on the opposite side of the city was a silver lining. All of them discussed which place to stay at albeit the conversation was muffled. Ardos snapped at someone before loudly proclaiming everything was set. I poked my head out again.

"We still have a few hours to double check everything over. Jen, please make the reservation. Excuse me for a second."

I went back into hiding. His footsteps echoed in the hallway as he walked past my room to the bathroom. Beeping from a phone came after he stepped on the wet tile.

"Hey… we're going to see if he's at the gym like you said then go from there. If not, no big deal. Our meeting is still on." There was a long pause until he sighed heavily. "We still need to figure that out. Look, we can talk later. Don't call me unless it's an absolute emergency." Ardos left without saying anything else.

Raiding the yacht for information crossed my mind despite how incredibly dangerous and stupid it was. The facility had been broken into once before. Also, my network of people might've done something to put pressure on Ardos where hiding something on his ship wasn't out of the question. I had two chances: while they were at the meeting or while they were sleeping. I also refused to believe they would leave it completely unguarded.

Any business owner looking to meet with a prominent figure would be stupid not to attend. Jen was the public face of the company, so I assumed her pitching skills were needed. Sootopolis had a friendlier vibe than Mauville so I could see Jon Doe holding down the fort in both scenarios.

Going under the cover of dark was the better choice. I had a dark variant of everything except my hiking pants made too much noise; dark athletic shorts were my only substitute. Nobody from the outside could see me while simply passing by. Unless the person guarding the boat wanted to duke it out in the dark, they needed to turn the lights on.

Even if nobody stayed aboard, the doors leading inside were bound to be locked. Linoone was the only Pokémon that had the dexterity to pick a manual lock. Electronic locks could be taken care of by Magneton. The less signs of snooping around, the better. Sootopolis didn't have an aura of a bustling night life. Based on my first job as a night shift janitor, Mauville streets looked the least busy around 3:30 am. That was my time to strike.

When I knew they left for the gym, I went out back to feed my team. Magneton sucked the power out of its portable charger then fell asleep; everybody knew to stay away. Aggron was more reserved compared to previous post-battle meals. He wasn't upset or frustrated… just mindlessly munching away. I still rubbed his back for support.

"Sorry I put you in a tough spot. Thanks for gutting it out." He appreciated the compliment as I moved around.

Altaria got her head scratched for her hard work. Her stomach showed no signs of a lingering injury from Horn Drill which was a sign of relief. If I had known about it earlier or if it missed the first time, stalling out until the rain went away would've been my plan. Linoone nibbled away then rolled on his back looking for a belly rub.

"Milotic took an interest in you after you fainted. What were you yelling about?" He motioned to be picked up; I cradled him against my stomach. "Whatever it was, you were relentless out there."

Sealeo was fixed on Ninetales rather than his food bowl. She stopped eating to acknowledge him then turned back around. He slowly bounced over to where she was visibly uncomfortable. Whatever he was saying to her, it wasn't helping.

"Alright Sealeo, that's enough. Finish your dinner over there." I sat down and set Linoone on the opposite side. She put her forehead against a tree. "Oh Ninetales… please look at me," I softly pleaded.

She turned her head only to where her left eye was looking at me. I tapped my thighs hoping it would get her full attention. A cautious look was on her face when she finally turned around. The body language was submissive; a lack of self-confidence was showing. She slowly crawled to me only to stop a few feet away.

"I'm so proud of you!" I said with an honest smile.

Offering my hand for petting made her flinch. It hurt to see yet I kept the smile. Ninetales dragged herself close enough to lick it at first. Licking turned to nudging and she crept close enough to set her head on my left thigh. Red eyes anxiously looked me over. I wanted to rub her head, but she hadn't overcome that mental obstacle.

"Ninetales, I'm not mad. That was a good performance today. You've come so far since we first met. Keep up the good work," I encouraged.

She licked my hand before going back to finish her food. I picked Linoone up again then walked over to Sealeo. He peeked around me to check on Ninetales.

"Don't worry about her too much. That was her first gym battle and yours too. How are you feeling?" Sealeo happily clapped. "Good! You'll get more chances to battle as time goes on."

Everyone roamed around for the next hour while I sat against a tree eating dinner. Ninetales eventually plopped down next to me and rested her head on my lap on her own. She motioned me to rub her back to which she closed her eyes. The fur felt thicker and she looked much closer to a normal weight. I was waiting for the day where I didn't have to be so cautious around her. I waved Linoone and Magneton over when she was out cold.

"We're going on a little adventure tonight." They looked at me expecting more. "Get some sleep in your balls. We'll go over it when the time comes. Return." The rest of my team followed.

I set my alarm for 2:45 am before going to bed.

* * *

Getting ready took more effort than I anticipated. There was no way around the fact that my arms and legs stuck out amongst the dark clothing. My only jacket created too much noise. I opted to wear another dark shirt to convert into a hood around the docks.

Having an elastic waistband made it awkward to wear the belt holding my six Poké Balls. Putting three in each pocket was as comfortable as my traditional way of carrying them. Grazing the center button wasn't enough to let them out; a decent amount of force was needed. My key teammates were well rested upon materializing.

"I'm going to be honest with you two: we're going to break into a yacht. Our goal is to not get caught. If shit goes south, we're running."

Concern was written all over their faces, especially Linoone's. He was proud about outgrowing most of his bad behavior outside of battle. Between attacking Brandon in Shoal Cave and potentially aiding in a burglary, he must've thought I was losing it.

"There might not be another opportunity like this. I'll give an explanation later."

Nobody was in the lobby or wandering around outside when I left. A soft warm breeze added a little noise to the already rippling water. Streetlights lined the way to the docks then total darkness enveloped the main pier; it was a cloudy night. I preferred my PokeNav's screen instead of the flashlight due to the lower brightness. Wooden crates were scattered about; stacked ones were no more than ten feet high.

Despite not having a lot of places to hide, there was no active security patrol. I altered my hood into an admittedly awful bandana that covered everything except my eyes and nose. My target was between a private speedboat on each side.

Boarding would've been a problem if not for a small wooden deck on the stern side and a tiny ladder dangling in the water. Unfortunately, the water was calm. I carefully stepped from the pier onto the deck then sat down to reset my footing.

The door leading to the rest of the interior was locked as expected. It essentially was a standard front door with a wood-like finish but had a tiny square window at head height; the keyhole jutted out from the knob. I called Linoone out to do his job.

"Up you go. Use your claws to pick this lock. I'll hold the light."

He fiddled around while I anxiously did my part. Paranoia made me look over my shoulder every few seconds only to see nothing. I started having second thoughts until a distinct clicking noise pushed me onward. Linoone stared at me with pleading eyes not to go in.

"Thank you for your help. I promise this will make sense later," I whispered reassuringly. The red beam sucked him in. I closed the door as quietly as I could with my shirt covering my fingers. Everything I needed to touch had to be through my shirt if I wanted to leave as little evidence behind as possible.

Based on what I saw with my dim PokéNav light, the first level was for relaxation. Lounge chairs, two couches, a coffee table, kitchen counter, cabinets filled with food and drinks, an entertainment system, nightstands, and a soft carpet made it perfect for sneaking around.

Nothing out of the ordinary stood out so I went for the nightstand first. Random trinkets or office supplies filled each drawer. The kitchen area didn't have anything of value either. An open area leading to the bow only contained windows and a set of wooden stairs. Slowly tiptoeing up minimized the creaking sound.

The middle level was more compact on the port side closer to the stern. It had three doors close together plus a metal one leading outside. Across the hallway was a full bathroom and compact laundry area. Gently tugging the washer didn't get it to open; same for the dryer. Not worth the risk to open them normally for fear of the latch noise. I went back to the three doors.

"Please be unlocked," I muttered. Not only were they unlocked, they opened effortlessly. I drew a sharp breath after pointing my light ahead. "Oh shit!" I whispered through my teeth.

A large bed was directly in the light's path. My heart skipped a few beats and I started to sweat profusely. Reaching for the closest Poké Ball was done out of habit, but I took a few seconds to process everything once I was holding it. Nobody else was in the room.

Sheets were neatly tucked in, pillows lumped against the headboard, and the open curtain was a dead giveaway. Closing the door took more precision than I anticipated because of the noise factor. I never cared about being quiet this much while leaving my parent's house to go to work. The worse thing they could do was yell at me the next day. I wasn't anticipating on seeing another day if I was too loud.

"Wish I knew who slept in here but whatever." I took off my makeshift bandana and covered my hands with it to avoid leaving obvious fingerprints behind.

Rummaging through the room yielded nothing useful. Part of it was because I held back. The sheets remain untouched and I skipped dresser drawers with clothes tightly packed in. A wad of 50,000P in a desk drawer caught my eye.

"Would be hard-pressed to find someone else who doesn't take this money. Fuck you guys," I grumbled before moving to the middle room.

It was rinse and repeat for how careful I was opening and closing the door. Crossing my fingers didn't do me any good because there was nothing noteworthy. On the way out, the last bedroom door squeaked open. I froze in place inches from the door and put my hand over my mouth trying to limit the noise from hyperventilating.

They walked at a normal pace to the bathroom and back. Five minutes felt like five hours for the tension to die down. I even waited another fifteen minutes after their bedroom door shut before taking another step. Knowing I wasn't alone meant the second shirt went back to acting as a bandana. I opened the door just enough to leave without touching anything so closing it would be easier. I treaded to the bow area with hiding my light as much as possible.

One giant L-shaped couch a few feet away from the wall, a glass coffee table, two small standing tables off to the side, windows everywhere except the wall leading to the hallway I was just in, and plenty of open space in the middle. The setup hadn't changed since my previous visit except for the pieces of paper scattered about.

Most of them were copies of how Pokémon Services operated or what the business was offering. Notes about emphasizing certain selling points were scribbled about. I spread them out with my hand behind the shirt I was wearing normally and found a familiar item hiding underneath.

"Ein File S… without the zippers locked together. Somebody fucked up," I said with a grin.

Four separate stacks of bound paper with a large black triangle on the cover page were staring me in the face after opening it. Each one ranged from 35-50 pages and appeared to have been read numerous times. As much as I wanted to read everything, it wasn't the time or place to do so. I chose to skim the introduction of the first packet.

_Shadow Pokémon are simply fighting machines. Through the Delta Process outlined in these packets, my team has been able to artificially close the door to their hearts. Doing so allows them to continually feel no remorse, compassion, or empathy, especially during combat. Each individual Pokémon has a different level of resistance to this process. It is imperative to take appropriate measures to avoid complications. Any questions should be directly addressed to me._

_-Chief Ein_

Taking the folder was beyond tempting. The introduction alone was too damning for anyone to brush aside. I had no idea removing those emotions from a Pokémon was even a concept. Even the most aggressive ones couldn't stay in that state forever. Unfortunately, having it in my possession wasn't a good look.

If someone saw it on me or stole it, I was initially going to be on the hook for whatever was inside. Ardos would know I took it because as far as my understanding went, he was the only one who knew it existed. The only way to circumvent that was to trash the place while stealing other items. A yacht sitting among average boats is a potential a target for a common thief; still not a foolproof or smart idea.

Assuming I was never found out, showing it to the police or league was a different story. Whistleblowing was a precursor to a stressful life for months on end at best with potentially serious punishments following. I basically had to admit to breaking and entering plus stealing what could be considered classified documents. Then I'd probably have to explain how I got to this point in the first place. None of which I wanted to do. Snapping pictures was the safest bet.

"Dammit!" I hissed after the flash area turned out bigger than I expected. "At least I can read it."

Maneuvering through the pages with my covered hand became a chore after the seventh one. Every flash had me looking back at the hallway to make sure I was in the clear. I heard the bedroom door open ten minutes later followed by loud footsteps. Hiding behind the couch didn't matter seeing as the person ran in the other direction to the bathroom. Their dramatic sigh of relief after the door shut almost made me laugh.

However, that second close call was my cue to stop. It was coming up on 5:00 am, I didn't have time to go through the rest of the pages, exploring the wheelhouse was out of the question, and the flash was bound to get their attention eventually. Flying off the deck or going back the way I came were my only means of escape. Getting back to land via Sealeo could possibly get me wet which could lead to more questions.

The moment the bedroom door closed again was the moment I made my move. I put everything back to the best of my ability then opted to go back the way I came. All was going well until I got to the back door on the first level. Hard to walk out with two older men getting ready for early morning fishing on the next boat over. I cracked the door open.

"Looking a little iffy this morning. You sure the rain's going to hold off?" one asked the other.

"We'll be fine. I heard it's supposed to rain in the afternoon. Give me a few minutes to check everything over." There was a long pause. "Do you hear something?" My stomach turned into a knot.

"No. Are you sure you had enough to eat for breakfast?"

I started to sweat again with each passing second. The boat owner started verbally checking off the things on his list as I closed the door. Facing the yacht interior instead of out the window slightly eased my mind. If anyone was going to sneak up on me, it was going to be another intruder. Five minutes later, the engine revved up only to fade away in the distance. Relocking the door on the way out was the icing on the cake.

Nobody else was around when I got to the main pier. I wore my second shirt over the first one to appear less suspicious; thankfully the walk back was uneventful. Nurse Joy wasn't at the front desk which made slipping into my room that much easier. I set my alarm for 11:30 in the hopes of squeezing out enough sleep without a problem.

Falling asleep only took a few seconds.

* * *

Loud beeping from the alarm jolted me awake. I wasn't nearly as rested as I had hoped to be when I dragged my ass out of bed. Stuffing things into my backpack was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Sir, are you still in there? This room needs to be cleaned and you haven't checked out," Nurse Joy said on the other side.

"You can come in," I hollered back. A janitorial cart rolled in first. "Sorry about that. Hope I didn't put you behind schedule."

"Not a problem. Pokémon Centers always account for this sort of thing."

I scanned the room one last time. "Do you know where Sootopolis Café is? Kinda feeling brunch right about now."

"On the west side of the city by the mart. Red bricks on a hill are a dead giveaway."

Running into Ardos and crew was a real possibility since their hotel was on that side albeit at the northernmost point. The last thing I wanted was for them to know I was in the city.

"Thank you!"

Mister fisherman's weather report from earlier turned out to be accurate; dark clouds were looming over the horizon. Water taxis were still running yet I wanted to test something out.

"Sealeo, come out for a minute." He appeared confused. "How do you feel about me… riding on your back?"

His head tilted nearly ninety degrees. Surf should've given him the extra boost to ferry me across water without a problem. I had no clue if he even was accustomed to other Pokémon riding on him. Despite the uncertainty, he was willing to try it.

After seeing him in the water, there wasn't a lot for me to hold on to. I quickly changed into my bathing suit and went barefoot; staying dry while on his back was out of the question. He seemed comfortable although moving a little slower than I thought. We stopped on a grassy patch of land near the mart instead of the docks.

"How are you feeling?" A proud smile was his response followed by clapping. "Good! I'll probably keep you out of rough waters until we have more experience riding. Get some rest."

Nurse Joy's information about the café was right on the money. In a place known for its lighter colors, the red bricks were pretty jarring. Being on a hill didn't seem to hurt business either. Wallace was patiently waiting on a bench by the host stand in a turquoise and white jacket along with purple pants.

"Ah! This is my guest. Glad you could make it Ryan. We've got a spot in the back reserved."

Our seating arrangement wasn't even out in the open. Wallace had his own private room that could hold roughly a dozen people, tall enough to comfortably hold two fully extended Milotics, had the ability to make video calls, two couches, a set of what I assumed were his personal wines, and a gorgeous view to the north overlooking the rest of the city into the sea. A table was already set up along with five bowls and a power brick.

"Are you on a tight schedule?" Wallace asked.

"Nope."

"Order anything you want. Your Pokémon can eat now."

My team wasted no time getting brunch. I ordered a hot meal with four sides as Wallace stuck with a sandwich combo. He poured a glass of dry red wine for him followed by a sweet white one for me.

"Congratulations on the victory yesterday. Getting seven badges is nothing to scoff at. Cheers!" A satisfying ring game from our glasses tapping.

"Cheers!"

We talked about our battle to pass the time. It didn't come as a surprise that the field needed a serious fixing. Most battles did enough damage to warrant repairs except ours required outside help plus the water had to be drained. Magneton's Thunder attack at the end against Milotic was the strongest one he had seen in recent memory.

"To be fair, I wanted every bit of electricity in that attack. I'm surprised that Thunder didn't knock out your Sealeo in one hit when Mud Sport went away." Wallace had a big grin on his face. "I'd like to think Magneton isn't that weak," I added.

The gym leader shrugged his shoulders. "I mean… that's usually it. However, there might be another explanation."

"If you're thinking about hold items, Magneton doesn't have one. Did Sealeo have one?" He shook his head.

"What I'm talking about is its nature. Trainers usually don't think about them because the effects are hard to spot. Over the course of history, twenty-five have been discovered in wild Pokémon. Twenty of them can provide some tactical advantage in battle."

Probably learned about it in school but I didn't remember. "Why does that matter. And about the other five?"

"Natures can make a Pokémon stronger in one area at the cost of weakening another area. Pokémon with one of five natures see no net change for combat. I don't know why even though there are studies on it."

"Which ones are good?"

"Depends. Milotic has a modest nature. Her special attacks get a boost while her physical attacks are weaker than one with, oh say, a bashful nature."

"Your Milotic has no physical attacks though."

Wallace tapped his head. "Bingo. Despite an inherent disadvantage, it still works in my favor. Allow me to pull up a chart so you can visually see what I'm talking about."

All twenty-five natures were plotted in a grid. The top row had a down arrow next to attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed. The far-left column had an up arrow next to each statistic. Natures were placed based on the appropriate combination and the five neutral ones ran diagonally. Preferred flavors for berries were in parenthesis.

Ninetales seemed faster than everyone else and the chart backed up what I saw on the field. Behind her timid demeanor was an increase in speed at the cost of physical attacking power. She was in the same boat as Milotic. Aggron's adamant nature made him the hardest physical hitter by a mile; no downside for him as he didn't have any special attacking moves.

Sealeo being bold provided extra physical defense at the cost of lower physical attacks. Linoone's impish tendencies upped defense as well in exchange for less power on the special attacking side. Altaria was my one neutral teammate with quirky.

Magneton was the odd one out. Jolly meant an increase in speed but weaker special attacks. Three of its four moves were special attacks.

"This is helpful and all, but how big is the tradeoff I'm looking at? Is there a number I can put to this?" I asked with a hint of concern.

"According to Professor Birch, about a ten percent difference in power both ways."

"That doesn't sound like much," I bluntly replied.

Wallace leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Sometimes the slimmest margins can make the biggest differences, especially when the margin for error is thin. We saw the effects. Now imagine if my Sealeo didn't get paralyzed and then followed up with an attack. I don't want to sound too arrogant, but Milotic's Hydro Pump easily knocks out Magneton without Sturdy in the last round."

I rubbed my eyes after replaying that sequence. "Knowing all of that… what can I do to offset the negative effects?"

"Adjusting a Pokémon's move set to fit their nature is an option. My Seaking has a quiet nature which means less speed and more special attack. Rain Dance plus Swift Swim is enough for me since I don't want to raise another one. If you don't want to do that, see if you can find a hold item to regain that power."

The prospect of replacing Magneton or anyone else for good didn't sitting well with me. We won seven badges while travelling through most of Hoenn; no way I was going to waste our hard work. Metal Sound already helped compensate. Teaching someone else an electric attack was a viable backup plan.

"Never would've guessed natures were that big of a deal." I went back to sitting in a normal position. "By the way, I was wondering if you had any tips on raising a Sealeo. I've only had him for a few days."

"Is there a specific problem or do you want some general information?" He sounded sincere as opposed to cautious.

"Maybe not  _problems,_ but his bold nature is always on display."

Wallace peeked over his shoulder. "Found him in Shoal Cave?"

"Uh-huh. Here are some pictures."

I made sure to start at the most recent cave picture, so I could work backwards. Wallace was intrigued at the Pokémon playing in the water plus the ones sitting on the ledge.

"Quite a trip you made. I remember going there a few years back. There was a group of Pokémon that watched over everything. Was that the case when you went?"

"Oh yeah. Sealeo was part of that group. He got talking with Linoone and next thing you know, I caught him after a battle."

The gym leader turned back to me. "Let me guess… he's butting heads literally and figurately."

"Just with Aggron."

He let out a sigh. "Trying to establish dominance. Whiscash did that to Milotic for weeks until they finally gelled. Honestly, the best thing to do is to not play favorites. Be consistent; praise and scold your team equally. I recommend a one on one talk for all your Pokémon about explaining unacceptable behavior. Once Sealeo understands everyone's expectations, he'll have an easier time getting along with them."

It made sense yet felt refreshing to hear advice coming from a gym leader. Magneton and Aggron could keep him in line if push came to shove. Sealeo had so much potential to be a great partner if he checked his ego at the door.

"You're right. I'll see what happens when we're on the road again."

Wallace leaned in. "Before I forget, you might want to be careful about using Swagger. Sealeo knows how to push other Pokémon's buttons better than other Swagger users I've battled Maybe it's the bold nature. Maybe he acted like that in his group a lot. Who knows."

"Huh? Is there really that much of a difference?"

"Definitely. What Sealeo did to Milotic during our battle was an invitation to mate." I covered my nose with the front of my shirt collar then exhaled.

"Wow," I replied emotionlessly.

"Yup. I haven't seen her that mad in a  _long_  time." The gym leader let out a small laugh. "That kind of behavior is usually reserved for contest halls where everyone's dressed up."

I rubbed my forehead trying to process that information. "So that's how he pisses everybody off? Even other males?"

"Tell me what usually does."

"Full disclosure, I haven't used Swagger a lot because I don't really like it. He usually rolls on his back before slapping his stomach."

A hum came from Wallace. "Very unusual. Not many Pokémon appreciate being so vulnerable. My best guess is that it's mocking the opponent by showboating. A lot of Swagger users will taunt in a way where they can immediately defend themselves or just yell."

"Explains a lot," I sighed.

"You'll have your work cut out for you."

Our waitress came back with brunch plus more Pokémon food. The hot meal smelled amazing after a long stressful night. I was too focused on eating to continue the conversation. When she came back to check on us, Wallace made an odd gesture to her and she nodded. My team welcomed the food coma after having their fill. Another gesture came when our plates were taken away.

"Now for the real reason I called you here today. Don't worry, nobody should be bothering us," Wallace said.

"So… Winona told you?"

"Kind of. Turn around so you can see the television." He pulled up the original email that was sent to seven gym leaders a few hours after I talked to her. There were fifteen replies.

_Subject: Possible Tier 1-A Offenses_

_Hello everyone,_

_It has come to my attention via a challenger that a business in Mauville City might be committing tier 1-A offenses. Specifically: using Pokémon to attack trainers and kidnapping them. The place is called Pokémon Services which specializes in long-term rehabilitation for Pokémon only. The person who reported those incidents has not gone to the police for fear of not being believed and/or possible retaliatory measures by certain people. The person does not know the inner workings of the company but has told me there is a divide in how employees are acting._

_As gym leaders, we should approach this problem with extreme caution while staying vigilant. Our newest leader, Vivian, is not on this mailing list. I am not willing to put her in a tough situation she is not prepared for. The facility is close enough to her gym where I don't feel comfortable about her getting involved even if she wanted to._

_I will be contacting someone from league headquarters at the Indigo Plateau in addition to Hoenn's branch at Ever Grande City shortly. Be aware of any challengers complaining about Pokémon Services. Maybe causally ask them why if you overhear and then document what they are saying. I will be in contact with the trainer and do not mind doing most of the legwork. I firmly believe the accusations are a valid concern. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to respond._

_Regards,_

_Winona-Pokémon League Gym Leader Supervisor: Hoenn_

I turned back around to face Wallace.

"Let's get down to business."

 


End file.
